Developing and validating the Arabic version of the Diabetes Quality of Life questionnaire

Background: The Diabetes Quality of Life (DQoL) questionnaire has been used frequently among people with diabetes. Aims: To develop and validate a revised Arabic version of the DQoL questionnaire for patients in Jordan with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We recruited patients with type 2 diabetes from 3 public health clinics in Jordan. The original DQoL questionnaire was translated to Arabic and then back-translated by a different translator, and the 2 versions were compared. Prior to circulating the final version of the questionnaire, a cognitive validity test was applied to ensure that all the questions were clear. The final Arabic version of the DQoL questionnaire, along with a questionnaire that included demographic and other health-related questions, were circulated to the participants. The questionnaire data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis after excluding duplicated questions and questions that included > 10% missing data. Cronbach's alpha was also conducted to confirm internal consistency. Results: Analysis validated an Arabic version of DQoL questionnaire that included 29 items divided into 3 factors: worries, impact and satisfaction. Different variables were associated with DQoL scores including insulin administration, low income status, marital status, and presence of diabetic complications. Conclusions: We validated an Arabic tool that can be used to evaluate QoL among Arabic-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes.