Psychometric analysis of the cross-cultural Spanish version of the diabetes management questionnaire

Evaluation of the degree of adherence to self-care among Spanish type 1 diabetes (T1DM) pediatric population lacks of a validated tool.Purpose: To cross-culturally adapt and determine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Diabetes Management Questionnaire to assess the degree of adherence to self-care among children with T1DM.Methods: Translation, back-translation, and patient suggestions, were considered to obtain the Spanish version (DMQ-Sp). A cross-sectional study was conducted with 323 children (aged 8-18 years) with T1DM and their parents to determine internal reliability, structural validity, and external validity. Responsiveness to change was analyzed through a prospective longitudinal study involving 102 newly diagnosed T1DM patients. Psychometrics were evaluated for the entire sample and stratified by age (8-12 and 13-18 years).Results: A total of 323 children with T1DM [49.8% female; age 13.3 +/- 2.8 years; 155 aged 8-12; glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value 7.7 +/- 1.0%] answered the Spanish final version. The internal consistency Cronbach's alpha was 0.76 and intraclass correlation coefficient 0.84. Test-retest reliability was r = 0.84 (p < 0.001). Fit index of structural validity was >0.7. External validity correlated inversely with HbA1c (r = -0.39; p < 0.001). The DMQ-Sp score increased significantly after 6 months of receiving the full therapeutic education program (TEP) (baseline 57.07 +/- 10.81 vs. 6 months 78.80 +/- 10.31; p < 0.001).Conclusion: The DMQ-Sp is reliable, valid, and sensitive to change in a large sample of children (aged 8-18 years) with T1DM and their parents.