Translation, adaptation and measurement properties of the muscle-strengthening exercise questionnaire among university students in Indonesia

Objectives Despite the abundant evidence showing the benefits of muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE), no epidemiological tool is available for assessing MSE among Indonesian university students. This study is the first to adapt the Muscle-Strengthening Exercise Questionnaire (MSEQ) from its original English version into another language, specifically Indonesian, incorporating cultural adaptations and to pilot test it to assess its validity and reliability among university students in Indonesia. Design Translation and cultural adaptation, content validity studies, concurrent validity studies and reliability studies were conducted following COnsensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement INstruments guidelines. Content validation, conducted with three experts and nine university students, informed the development of the MSEQ Indonesian version. The concurrent validity study compared the results of measuring MSE frequency, intensity, duration and volume with those of the 7-day diary and relative handgrip strength with 22 respondents for concurrent validity against subjective measurement and 70 respondents for concurrent validity against objective measurement. For the reliability study, 39 respondents were asked to fill the MSEQ Indonesian version twice with a time interval of 7 days. Settings and participants The study involved 143 participants, including experts and university students from three universities across two different islands in Indonesia. Results Single administration MSEQ, consecutive administration MSEQ and 7-day diary recording resulted in 0, 33.8 and 68.5 dropout rate, respectively. Moderate-to-strong correlations were observed between the results for the weekly frequency, duration, intensity and volume of MSE and those of the 7-day diary and hand grip strength. Test-retest reliabilities were good to excellent for machine weight, holistic and overall MSE but poor for bodyweight MSE. In assessing the target muscle group, the MSEQ Indonesian version showed good test-retest reliability for machine-weight MSE but poor-to-very good test-retest reliability for bodyweight, free weight and holistic MSE. Conclusions Our study demonstrated the acceptable validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of the MSEQ for assessing MSE among university students in Indonesia, not only by comparing each dimension of MSE with subjective measures but also by comparing MSE volume with objective measures. To enhance the generalisability of these findings, future studies should assess the MSEQ Indonesian version in diverse adult populations by considering dropout rates found by our study, ensuring its broader applicability and sample size adequacy. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025.