Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
*Address for Correspondence: Manvir Bhatia, Chairperson Sleep Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi-110 060, India. Fax: 011-25861002 Email: manvirbhatia1@yahoo.com
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), an important symptom of several chronic sleep disorders, can be evaluated with subjective and objective measures. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) a subjective measure of EDS, has been used in many countries after translation into local language. The present study aimed to translate it into Hindi and validate it for use in Hindi speaking population in India.
The ESS was translated into Hindi with minor modifications. The original and modified versions were administered to 42 subjects, 21 were normal healthy controls and 21 patients with sleep disorders. The ESS 1 and ESS 2 were compared in both groups using Spearman's correlation.
The ESS 1 and ESS 2 had very good correlation in each group (p <0.001). Though there were minor differences in response to certain questions, the ESS total score did not change significantly.
The modified, Hindi version of ESS was found to be reliable and valid. This can be used to evaluate sleepiness in Hindi speaking population of our country.
Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness, Validity
