title: Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cervix (FACT-Cx) measuring health-related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT) is one of the most commonly used self-report instruments for evaluation of health-related quality of life in oncology patients. However, cultural considerations necessitate testing of the subscales in different populations. We sought to qualitatively and quantitatively investigate the applicability and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the FACT-Cervix (FACT-Cx) in Chinese women with cervical cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten personal interviews were conducted in order to explore patients' opinions about the scale and its items in depth. In addition the questionnaire was administered to 400 women with cervical cancer to test its psychometric properties. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item-subscale correlation while validity was evaluated using factor analysis and known-group validity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some items related to sex and the ability to give birth were questioned in the personal interviews, mostly regarding their significance and acceptance in the Chinese cultural context. The Cronbach's alphas of FACT-Cx and the subscales were greater than 0.7, except for the cervical-cancer-specific subscale which was 0.57. Factor analysis demonstrated that the FACT-G construct generally paralleled the original. There were significant differences in the FACT-Cx and some subscales between those receiving and not receiving treatment and among the patients with different performance status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In general, psychometric properties of the Chinese version supported its use with cervical cancer patients in Mainland China. Further work is needed to improve the psychometric adequacy of the cervical-cancer-specific subscale and adjust it to cultural considerations.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, No, 419 Fang Xie Road, Shanghai, 200011, China. jonish@vip.sina.com
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Ingalill R
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Hallberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002681:China; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014175:Translating; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*