Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12, translation, adaptation and validation for the Persian language population

•The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) was translated and culturally adapted according to the standard guidelines.•Persian MSWS-12 (PMSWS-12) is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing walking ability in Persian speaking patients with MS.•Factor analysis revealed that the PMSWS-12 has 2 factors, and the 9-item PMSWS is a unidimensional scale.•PMSWS-12 is a suitable instrument for use in clinical and research settings.•The PMSWS-12 can be used as an outcome measure for investigations in Persian-speaking population.

The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) is a multi-item rating scale used to assess the perspectives of patients about the impact of MS on their walking ability. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the MSWS-12 in Persian speaking patients with MS. The MSWS-12 questionnaire was translated into Persian language according to internationally adopted standards involving forward-backward translation, reviewed by an expert committee and tested on the pre-final version. In this cross-sectional study, 100 participants (50 patients with MS and 50 healthy subjects) were included. The MSWS-12 was administered twice 7 days apart to 30 patients with MS for test and retest reliability. Internal consistency reliability was Cronbach's α 0.96 for test and 0.97 for retest. There were no significant floor or ceiling effects. Test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] agreement of 0.98, 95% CI, 0.95-0.99) confirming the reproducibility of the Persian MSWS-12. Construct validity using known group methods was demonstrated through a significant difference in the Persian MSWS-12 total score between the patients with MS and healthy subjects. Factor analysis extracted 2 latent factors (79.24% of the total variance). A second factor analysis suggested the 9-item Persian MSWS as a unidimensional scale for patients with MS. The Persian MSWS-12 was found to be valid and reliable for assessing walking ability in Persian speaking patients with MS.