The MAF scale25 incorporates 16 items and measures four
dimensions of fatigue: severity, distress, degree of interference
in activities of daily living, and timing. The scores
range from 1 (no fatigue) to 50 (severe fatigue), with higher
scores indicating a higher level of fatigue and its impact on
the individual. The MAF was included as it measures theseverity, as well as the distress and impact of fatigue. These
aspects were often raised by patients with IBD and fatigue in
our preliminary work.18
Permission to use the MFI and MAF was obtained from the
authors and both scales were used in phases 2–5.