Validation of the Amharic Version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory for Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue in Ethiopian Cancer Patients

Girma Tekle Gebremariam; Abel Tesfaye Anshabo; Wondemagegnhu Tigeneh; Ephrem Engidawork

doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.04.015

Validation of the Amharic Version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory for Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue in Ethiopian Cancer Patients

J Pain Symptom Manage. 2018 Aug;56(2):264-272. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.04.015. Epub 2018 May 10.

Authors

Girma Tekle Gebremariam¹, Abel Tesfaye Anshabo¹, Wondemagegnhu Tigeneh², Ephrem Engidawork³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
² Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Electronic address: ephrem.engidawork@aau.edu.et.

PMID: 29753101
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2018.04.015

Abstract

Background: Although cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a highly prevalent and distressing symptom associated with cancer and its treatment, it is mostly underscreened, underassessed, and undertreated. The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess CRF.

Objective: To validate the Amharic version of the BFI (BFI-Am) for assessment of CRF in Ethiopian cancer patients.

Methods: The BFI-Am was developed from its original English version through standard forward-backward translation approach. Two hundred eight consented cancer patients filled the questionnaires, along with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30, version 3. In addition, sociodemographic and clinical information were collected. Psychometric properties of the BFI-Am were evaluated in terms of acceptability, internal consistency, construct validity, concurrent validity, and known group validity. Linear regression analysis was performed to identify possible predictors of fatigue severity.

Results: Two hundred two cancer patients completed the questionnaires and included in the data analysis. The BFI-Am had an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.97. The results of the principal axis factor analysis suggested a one-factor solution explaining 78.4% of the variance, supporting the hypothesis of unidimensionality of the BFI-Am. The global BFI-Am interference items score was highly correlated with fatigue subscale score of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 than single items, showing an inverse correlation between the BFI-Am and the global health status/quality of life (r = -0.324; P = 0.000). The BFI-Am significantly detected the differences in fatigue severity in patients with poor performance status (P < 0.001), indicating known group validity.

Conclusion: The BFI-Am is an excellent assessment tool with adequate psychometric properties for use in both clinical management and symptom research of CRF in Ethiopian cancer patients.

Keywords: BFI Amharic; Cancer-related fatigue; assessment; psychometric properties.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Validation Study

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Ethiopia
Fatigue / diagnosis*
Fatigue / etiology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neoplasms / complications*
Psychometrics
Quality of Life*
Reproducibility of Results
Severity of Illness Index
Surveys and Questionnaires
Translations
Young Adult