title: The MVQOLI successfully captured quality of life in African palliative care: a factor analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the factor structure of the Missoula Vitas Quality of Life Index (MVQOLI) in palliative care patients in South Africa and Uganda and to assess the tool's appropriateness for measuring quality of life (QOL) in this context.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey using the MVQOLI, a 26-item QOL measure containing five subscales (Function, Symptoms, Interpersonal, Well being, and Transcendent), in five palliative care services in South Africa and Uganda.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred eighty-five patients were recruited; mean age was 40.1 years; 197 (69.1%) were female; primary diagnoses were human immunodeficiency virus infection (80.7%) and cancer (17.9%). A five-factor solution, accounting for 55% of variance, presented the best model of fit. The factors corresponded relatively closely to the original subscales, with only 4 of the 20 items not loading on the factor corresponding to the appropriate subscale. Internal consistency was high (α=0.83).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found evidence of five factors underpinning the MVQOLI in a large sample of South African and Ugandan palliative care patients. The five factors corresponded reasonably well to the original subscales, suggesting that it is a promising measure for use in this population. However, further testing of its psychometric properties, comprehensibility, and scoring require further research in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London, Bessemer Road, Denmark Hill, London, UK. lucy.selman@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Selman
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Siegert
authors.forename: Irene J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Higginson
authors.forename: Godfrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Agupio
authors.forename: Natalya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dinat
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Downing
authors.forename: Liz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gwyther
authors.forename: Thandi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mashao
authors.forename: Keletso
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mmoledi
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.forename: Lydia Mpanga
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Sebuyira
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ikin
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harding
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology