Cancer Management and Research (Dec 2021)
Validity and Reliability of the Amharic Version of EORTC-QLQ-CR29 Among Colorectal Cancer Patients in Ethiopia
Abstract
Lidya Genene Abebe,1 Abigiya Wondimagegnehu,1,2 Aynalem Abraha Woldemariam3 ,† Bizu Gelaye,4,5 Eva Johanna Kantelhardt,2,6 Adamu Addissie1,2 1Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany; 3Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 4Department of Epidemiology, Harvard. T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; 5The Chester M. Pierce, M.D. Division of Global Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 6Department of Gynaecology, Martin-Luther-University, Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany†Aynalem Abraha Woldemariam passed away on April 9, 2021Correspondence: Lidya Genene Abebe Tel +251 912665940Email [email protected]: The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer – Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ) developed to assess quality of life among colorectal cancer patients has not been translated into a local language or validated in the Ethiopian context. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the EORTC-QLQ-CR29 tool in Ethiopia among colorectal cancer patients.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a major referral hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from March to May, 2020. A total of 158 colorectal cancer patients were included. The validity of the tool was assessed using Multitrait Scale Analysis, Mann–Whitney test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s alpha.Results: Among the participants, 52.2% were men, with a median age of 46 years (IQR = 17.7 years). The item-total correlation alpha values ranged from 0.47 to 0.91. Multitrait Scale Analysis demonstrated convergent and divergent validity of the tool, except for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale. All item correlations within their scales were greater than 0.4, except for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale. The values of correlation coefficients between all items and their own domain were higher than other domains, except for the Blood and Mucus in Stool scale. The correlation between the core questionnaire and the colorectal tool ranged from − 0.45 to 0.58. The tool showed a significant difference between stoma and non-stoma patients and between patients who had good physical function and those who did not.Conclusion: The Amharic version of the EORTC-QLQ-CR29 tool can be used to assess the health-related quality of life in Ethiopian colorectal cancer patients.Keywords: validity, EORTC-QLQ, colorectal cancer, Ethiopia
