Publication Cover
Hemoglobin
international journal for hemoglobin research
Volume 45, 2021 - Issue 2
157
Views
2
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Development of the Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36) for Patients with β-Thalassemia Major and β-Thalassemia Intermedia Based on Extended Rasch Analysis

, &
Pages 119-123 | Received 13 Oct 2020, Accepted 16 Mar 2021, Published online: 26 Apr 2021
 

Abstract

The quality of life (QoL) questionnaire (SF-36) contains 36 questions in eight subscales. It requires much time to fill in by the respondent. The objective of this study was to use Rasch models to develop a questionnaire that brings the desired outcome of the QoL of people. Therefore, a new questionnaire was provided that is more motivating and time-saving for respondents than SF-36. The QoL of life assessment data of 325 β-thalassemia major (β-TM) and β-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI) patients in Kerman, Iran, was used as research data. In this study, the appropriate questions were classified in a limited dimensional framework using the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The correctness of the factor structure was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The quality of the questions was evaluated by Rasch modeling [partial credit model (PCM)] and item analysis to ensure the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Finally, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to compare the new questionnaire with the previous one. This process resulted in the development of a new questionnaire with five subscales and 20 questions. The construct validity of the new questionnaire was good. The reliability index of the questionnaire was 0.75, and the Pearson correlation coefficient between the QoL scores gained from the previous and the new questionnaires was 0.93 that indicates the strength of the correlation. The use of Rasch analysis in this study resulted in the development of a new reliable and valid questionnaire.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.