title: Developing a culturally valid and reliable quality of life questionnaire for diabetes mellitus.
abstract: The aim of this study was to design a culturally adapted questionnaire for studying quality of life (QOL) among type 1 and 2 adult diabetes patients in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 41 items on the questionnaire were based on qualitative research and covered general and health-related QOL. In a descriptive survey, 104 patients completed the questionnaire; 68 (65.4%) were female. Mean age was 50.5 years (standard deviation 12.8). Most patients (86.5%) had type 2 diabetes. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.98. The questionnaire successfully distinguished the lower QOL of patients suffering from pain in the limbs, loss of appetite, fatigue, constipation and itching. The questionnaire could determine both general and health-related QOL.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Nursing, Kashan Medical University, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran. alavi@accir.com
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Alavi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ghofranipour
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Emami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000208:ethnology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011537:Pruritus / Q000209:etiology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*