Determining the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (KDQOL-36™)

Abstract

BackgroundHealth-related quality of life is a crucial outcome for the chronic kidney disease population, the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) questionnaire is commonly used as an integral part of clinical evaluations. The abbreviated version of the KDQOL-36™ has been translated into Mandarin Chinese, but has not been tested for use in the Chinese patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the KDQOL-36™ with a sample of Chinese patients.MethodsThe Mandarin Chinese version of the KDQOL-36™ has been translated by Amgen, Inc. and the MAPI Institution following the instrument translation specifications provided by the RAND health. The translated instrument was further reviewed by a Chinese expert panel for content validity and translational equivalence. The KDQOL-36™ along with Beck depression Inventory-II were administrated to 103 chronic renal disease patients recruited through convenience sampling procedure from the renal wards and an outpatient dialysis clinic. The convergent validity was determined through investigating the correlational evidence of the KDQOL-36™ with the Beck depression Inventory-II and the overall health rating. Known-group validity was supported by the evidence that the instrument could differentiate subgroups of patients. The internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach’s α and test-retest reliability was examined using an intraclass correlation coefficient.ResultsFor the convergent validity, there were positive correlations between the overall health rating and most of the KDQOL-36™ subscales, and the Beck depression inventory score was inversely correlated with the mental component summary score and disease-specific scores of the scale. Significant correlations were noted between disease-targeted and generic dimensions of the KDQOL-36™. The results of the known-group comparisons indicated females, the unemployed, and patients had a longer dialysis history reported a worse quality of life. With regard to the reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.69 to 0.78, and the intraclass correlation test-retest was higher than 0.70.ConclusionsThe Mandarin Chinese version of the KDQOL-36™ is a brief, valid, and reliable instrument for use in examining the quality of life of chronic kidney disease patients in China.

Psychometric Properties of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life–36 Questionnaire (KDQOL-36™)

“…The Burden of Kidney Disease subscale was lowest compared with others. The ceiling effect was 25.9%, and mean of the Burden score was 60.43 (SD = 34.46) in this study, whereas the mean value was 33.07 (SD = 23.31) in the Tao et al (2014) study. Most of our participants had very little physical discomfort that influenced health and QOL because their CKD was in an early stage.…”

“…In previous studies, Cronbach's alpha for subscales of the KDQOL-36™ had been reported ranging from .69 to .78 of all subscales (Tao et al, 2014) and from .82 to .91 (F. Yang et al, 2013) of the Kidney Disease Component Summary in Chinese people. In our study, Cronbach's alpha for the overall instrument was .92, subscales ranging from .76 to .92.…”

Measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in adult patients with chronic kidney disease: A systematic review

“…Six validation studies reported content validity indexes (CVI) [33, 38, 49, 53, 77, 82] and of these only Suet-Ching [49] reported patient involvement in the process of content validation.…”

Effects of individualized exercise program on physical function, psychological dimensions, and health‐related quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease: A randomized controlled trial in China

“…Scores range from 0 to 100 and higher scores represent better QOL. The Cronbach's alpha and test‐retest reliability of the Chinese version of the KDQOL‐36™ were 0.69 ~ 0.78 and 0.70 ~ 0.86, respectively (Tao, Chow, & Wong, ). All outcome measurements were assessed at baseline and after completion of 12 weeks of exercise in both the intervention and the control group.…”