BACKGROUND/AIM: We performed a linguistic validation of the original version of the Epworth Sleep Scale (ESS) into the Moroccan dialect according to Guillemin's guidelines.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

After translating the English version of the ESS according to the standard guidelines, we asked 120 healthy subjects to complete the questionnaire twice with an interval of 10 days. We assess the acceptability and internal reliability by Cronbach's alpha coefficient, while for the test-retest reproducibility we use the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (95% confidence interval (CI)) and the kappa coefficient.

RESULTS

11-13% of subjects reported excessive sleepiness. The translated version was acceptable. A Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.71 and 0.70 was obtained for the entire 8-item scale on test and retest, respectively. Intra-observer reproducibility (test-retest) was satisfactory for the ESS scale with an ICC (95% CI) of 0.71 (0.618; 0.779). The kappa coefficient was 0.88, indicating excellent agreement.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that the psychometric properties are adequate compared to the original version. Therefore, this translated version should be used to assess sleep in the Moroccan population.