title: Validation of the short form of the Spanish hypertension quality of life questionnaire (MINICHAL) for Portuguese (Brazil).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The assessment of quality of life has been considered an essential parameter in understanding the impact of arterial hypertension.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To translate into portuguese, cross-culturally adapt and validate the questionnaire specific for the assessment of quality of life known as "Mini Cuestionario de Calidad de Vida en Hipertensión Arterial" (MINICHAL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two independent translations of MINICHAL were made into brazilian portuguese. Later, these two translations were harmonized yielding a version that was back-translated into the source language. This version was revised by a committee of judges and the new version was tested in a pilot study. After the cross-cultural adaptation, the final version of the instrument was administered to a sample of 300 patients. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire such as reliability and construct validity were analyzed. The internal consistency of the instrument was measured by Cronbachs alpha coefficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the brazilian version of MINICHAL, Cronbachs alpha coefficients of internal consistency reliability were 0.88 for the Mental Status domain and 0.85 for the Somatic Manifestations domain. As to content validity, the judges assessment attained a high level of agreement (75.44%). The factor analysis confirmed both domains, with differences in one item which was included in factor 2. The control group presented significant differences relative to hypertensive patients (t=4.86, gl=276.8, p< 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The brazilian version of MINICHAL was successfully validated and represents a useful and reliable instrument for assessing the quality of life of brazilian hypertensive patients.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná, PR - Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Berberi
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rossignoli
authors.forename: Cassyano J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Correr
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernández-Llimós
authors.forename: Plínio Marco de
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Toni
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000523:psychology*; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*