title: Validation of the Missoula-Vitas Quality-of-Life Index among patients with advanced AIDS in urban Kampala, Uganda.
abstract: The Missoula-Vitas Quality-of-Life Index (MVQOLI) is a unique tool specifically designed to measure quality of life (QOL) in advanced illness in a palliative care setting. The aim of this study was to explore its cross-cultural validity. We used a culturally adapted version in a local language, Luganda, and tested the MVQOLI-M in 200 patients with advanced AIDS in urban Kampala, Uganda. Content validity was assessed using the content validity ratio approach. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (alpha), and test-retest reliability was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient. All items and domains were rated content valid and there was good construct validity. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha=0.83). The transcendence domain was the best predictor of overall QOL. The MVQOLI-M is an acceptable, valid, and reliable measure of QOL for people with advanced AIDS and findings demonstrate the importance of measuring the transcendence domain in QOL in advanced illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine (E.K.), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. evanamisango@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Namisango
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katabira
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Karamagi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baguma
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014454:Uganda