Validity and reliability of the FreBaQ in the italian students of the degree courses of health profession during the lockdown due to the cOVid-19 pandemic: a cross sectional study

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global higher-education community has been pushed into an unplanned experiment in online learning and the large amount of hours spent sitting studying led students to develop back pain, which can result in an altered perception of the body. The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) is tool to assess back-specific altered body perception. The primary objective of the study was to evaluate validity and reliability of the FreBAQ in the assessment of the perception of the spinal column following the change in the method of carrying out the teaching activity of the Degree Courses during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, while for criterion validity, the Pearson correlation coefficient of the FreBAQ was evaluated with the SF-12 and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Results: The FreBAQ was applied to 524 individuals with a mean age of 23 years (SD 4.8). The internal consistency showed good values, with an alpha coefficient of 0.87 as regards the total population, and an alpha coefficient of 0.77 as regards individuals with spinal diseases. The validity study demonstrated good linear correlation with the SF-12 (p<0.01) and with the Perceived Stress Scale (p<0.01). Conclusion: The present findings revealed the FreBAQ as a reliable and valid tool to assess back- specific altered body perception.