Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TURKIYE KLINIKLERI TIP BILIMLERI DERGISI, cilt.29, sa.5, ss.1124-1130, 2009 (SCI-Expanded)
Objective: Allergic rhinitis drastically impairs patients' health-related quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of QOL scale for patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (ARC). Material and Methods: An initial draft questionnaire was designed and a cross-sectional validation study was conducted. Three hundred and seventy five adults with ARC in regional hospitals in Izmir were requested to complete the questionnaire. Test-retest was measured using Pearson's correlation coefficient, internal consistency was estimated using Cronbach's alpha. The questionnaire was readministered to 70 patients 7 days after the first visit for evaluating test-retest reliability. Responsiveness was assessed in a group of 30 patients at baseline and after treatment. Paired t-test was used to examine statistically significant changes of mean scores between pre-treatment and post-treatment periods. Known-group validity was established by comparing ARC symptoms severity scores. A principal component analysis was conducted to examine the construct validity. Results: Test-retest reliability of this new scale ranged from 77% to 84% and internal consistency for these items was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90). Factor analytical techniques revealed three interpretable scales explaining 52.4% of the total variance: the physical and functional, emotional and daily life problems. Five items were cancelled from the list. The QOL score negatively moderate correlated with ARC symptoms severity scores. The improvements in health were statistically significant for the COL. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the psychometric properties of the quality of life scale for patients with ARC were good.