Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Sarcopenia and Quality of Life, a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific for Sarcopenia

The Sarcopenia and Quality of Life questionnaire (SarQol®) is a self-administered multidimensional sarcopenia-specific tool designed for community-dwelling subjects aged 65 years and older. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the SarQoL®. A total of 252 participants aged ≥ 65 years voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study. Handgrip strength and bioelectrical impedance analysis were used for sarcopenia screening. Discriminative power, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and floor and ceiling effects were analyzed. The generic 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), the European Quality of Life 5-Dimension-3 Level (EQ-5D-3L), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were also used for convergent and divergent validity. Significant differences between sarcopenic (n = 66) and non-sarcopenic participants were observed for SarQoL® total score (p = 0.008) and for all domains except D2—locomotion. A high internal consistency of SarQoL® total score (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.904) was found, and significant domain-to-total score correlations were obtained (all p < .001). Test–retest data showed excellent reliability for SarQoL® total score (ICC = 0.99; 95%CI 0.98–0.99) and in all dimensions, except for D6—leisure and D7—fears activities (substantial). No floor and ceiling effects were observed for SarQoL® total score. SarQoL® total score showed good and acceptable correlations(p < 0.001) with the selected domains of the SF-36 and EQ-5D-3L which have similar dimensions (convergent validity). Low and non-significant correlations existed with anxiety, depression, and EQ-5D-3L self-care and pain/discomfort domains (divergent validity). The Spanish SarQoL® shows satisfactory general psychometric properties in Spanish-speaking older adults from Spain and is able to discriminate between older adults with and without sarcopenia.