title: The validation and psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Swallowing Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (DSWAL-QOL).
abstract: The aim of this work was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Swallowing Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (DSWAL-QOL). A cross-sectional survey of 295 dysphagic patients and 124 healthy controls was studied to evaluate the validity and reliability of the DSWAL-QOL, and 50 patients were recruited for the test-retest reliability. Construct validity was validated through principal component analysis and a correlation study between the DSWAL-QOL and the SF-36. The psychometric properties of the DSWAL-QOL were found to be largely similar to those of the original SWAL-QOL, except the Sleep scale; the composite Symptoms score reaffirms its validity in this study. The DSWAL-QOL was able to differentiate between dysphagic and nondysphagic patients and is sensitive to disease severity as measured by known-groups validity, based on different food and liquid textures. The DSWAL-QOL is a clinically valid and reliable tool for assessing the quality of life in Dutch-speaking dysphagic patients, regardless of the cause or severity of the dysphagia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Saint-Pierre University Hospital, Brussels, Belgium. janvanderwegen@telenet.be
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vanderwegen
authors.forename: Gwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Nuffelen
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Bodt
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054521:Cultural Competency; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating