Quality of Life of Celiac Patients in Brazil: Questionnaire Translation, Cultural Adaptation and Validation

Nutrients. 2018 Aug 25;10(9):1167. doi: 10.3390/nu10091167.

Abstract

(1) Background: Celiac disease (CD) is a common autoimmune disorder. The manifestations of the disease and the obligatory life-long gluten-free diet (GFD) are associated with the impairment of patients' quality of life. Therefore, the present study aimed to translate, culturally adapt and validate a celiac disease quality of life (CD-QoL) questionnaire and apply it to a representative number of Brazilian CD patients. (2) Methods: A cross-cultural Brazilian-Portuguese version of the CD-QoL was developed according to revised international guidelines. The questionnaire was administered to 450 celiac patients. The reliability, reproducibility and validity were studied. (3) Results: The Brazilian CD-QoL questionnaire presents valid measures of reproducibility and internal consistency. Early diagnosis is related to higher scores of Brazilian CD-QoL social, sub- and total scale. There was a positive correlation between higher education level and higher QoL. Individuals with partners tend to have a better emotional subscale of QoL. CD-patients who follow a strict GFD have highest QoL scale values. Men scored higher than women on the CD-QoL. All results were statistically significant except for the gastrointestinal subscale. (4) Conclusions: Brazilian CD-QoL allows comparative research between different celiac populations in the world. QoL research will help in the development of effective strategies to improve Brazilian celiac patients' quality of life.

Keywords: Brazilian CD-QoL; celiac disease; quality of life; questionnaire.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brazil
  • Celiac Disease / diagnosis*
  • Celiac Disease / diet therapy
  • Celiac Disease / physiopathology
  • Celiac Disease / psychology
  • Cost of Illness
  • Cultural Characteristics*
  • Diet, Gluten-Free
  • Early Diagnosis
  • Emotions
  • Female
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Health
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Quality of Life*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • Translating*