Nijs, Jo, Vaes, Peter, McGregor, Neil et al. · Physical therapy · 2003
Researchers tested a questionnaire designed to measure how ME/CFS affects daily activities and participation in normal life. The Dutch version of this questionnaire was given to people with ME/CFS, and the researchers found it reliably measured activity limitations and correlated well with patients' reports of pain and fatigue. This suggests the questionnaire is a useful tool for tracking how the disease impacts everyday functioning.
Accurate measurement tools are essential for clinicians to objectively track how ME/CFS affects patients' daily functioning and for researchers to standardize outcomes in clinical trials. This validation of the CFS-APQ provides patients and healthcare providers with a reliable, disease-specific instrument specifically designed to assess activity limitations in ME/CFS rather than relying on generic disability measures.
This study does not establish whether the CFS-APQ is sensitive to changes over time (responsiveness) or whether it predicts treatment outcomes or disease progression. The moderate correlations with pain and fatigue (R=.50–.51) indicate the questionnaire measures related but distinct constructs, not that it explains the underlying biological mechanisms of ME/CFS.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Nijs, Jo, Vaes, Peter, McGregor, Neil, Van Hoof, Elke, & De Meirleir, Kenny (2003). Psychometric properties of the Dutch Chronic Fatigue Syndrome--Activities and Participation Questionnaire (CFS-APQ).. Physical therapy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12718710/
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-nijs-2003-psychometric-properties,
author = {Nijs, Jo and Vaes, Peter and McGregor, Neil and Van Hoof, Elke and De Meirleir, Kenny},
title = {Psychometric properties of the Dutch Chronic Fatigue Syndrome--Activities and Participation Questionnaire (CFS-APQ).},
journal = {Physical therapy},
year = {2003},
note = {PubMed: 12718710},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nijs-2003-psychometric-properties},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nijs-2003-psychometric-properties
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