Measurement Properties of the Chinese Version of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument–Weight Module (YQOL-W)

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood obesity is a growing public health concern in China. It not only compromises physical health, but also has negative impacts on psychosocial well-being. As obesity rates increase, finding out what the perceptions of Chinese youth are regarding their weight is important for intervention planning and evaluation. However, there is a paucity of available obesity-specific instruments for children and adolescents in China and youth weight-specific quality of life (QOL) has been little reported. This study aimed to evaluate the measurement properties of the Chinese version of the Youth Quality of Life Instrument – Weight Module (YQOL-W).MethodsThe Chinese version of the YQOL-W was administered to 840 youth aged 11–18 from nine schools. Measurement properties including measurement model, reliability, validity and burden were evaluated.ResultsConfirmatory factor analysis showed that a three-factor model had acceptable model fit. The instrument had robust internal consistency reliability with Cronbach's α ranging from 0.84 to 0.96 and acceptable test-retest reliability with the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) all higher than 0.7. The standard error of measurement (SEM) values for the Self, Social and Environment factors and total score were 10.352, 9.526, 12.086 and 8.425, respectively. The small real differences (SRDs) for the Self, Social and Environment factors and total score were 28.675, 26.387, 33.478, and 23.337, respectively. The Pearson's correlation coefficients between the YQOL-W and the PedsQL4.0 General Core Scales were stronger between comparable dimensions than those between less comparable dimensions, demonstrating convergent and discriminant evidence of construct validity. Significant differences were found in subscale and total scores across weight status, age and genders (P<0.01), supporting the known-groups validity of the instrument.ConclusionThe Chinese version of the YQOL-W has acceptable measurement properties and can be used to assess the weight-specific QOL of children and adolescents in China.

Factors Influencing Quality of Life of Obese Students in Hangzhou, China

“…Obese high school girls from migrant communities with less educated parents reported lower QOL scores among the overweight and obese students. The YQOL-W is a well-developed QOL instrument and has been adapted for use in other countries [ 13 , 15 – 17 ], and the Chinese version has also been shown to have adequate measurement properties [ 14 ]. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating youth weight-specific QOL with a well-developed weight-specific QOL instrument in China.…”

“…The Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Weight Module (YQQL-W) was developed by the Seattle Quality of Life Group (SeaQoL), University of Washington as a self-reported instrument to assess weight-specific QOL of children and adolescents 11–18 years of age [ 13 ]. The Chinese Version of the YQOL-W was culturally adapted and validated by the Institute of Social Medicine and Family Medicine, Zhejiang University in cooperation with SeaQoL [ 14 ]. This 23-item instrument consists of three domains: Self, Social and Environment.…”

“…The Social domain pertains to youth’s relationships with others including family, friends and peers. Finally, the Environment domain pertains to opportunities and obstacles in a youth’s social and cultural milieu specific to weight status [ 13 , 14 ]. Each item has eleven response options with adjectival anchors ranging from “0” (Not at all) to “10” (Very Much).…”

Assessing quality of life in psychosocial and mental health disorders in children: a comprehensive overview and appraisal of generic health related quality of life measures

“…The YQOL has acceptable to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas between 0.77-0.96) [63,106] and good to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.74-0.85) [63,106]. Hypotheses testing was assessed by comparing the YQOL to the Children's Depression Inventory (r = 0.58) [63], the Functional Disability Inventory (r = 0.26) [63], the KINDL (r = 0.73) [63] and PedsQL's comparable dimensions (r = 0.21-0.53) [106]. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing known groups [63,106].…”

“…Hypotheses testing was assessed by comparing the YQOL to the Children's Depression Inventory (r = 0.58) [63], the Functional Disability Inventory (r = 0.26) [63], the KINDL (r = 0.73) [63] and PedsQL's comparable dimensions (r = 0.21-0.53) [106]. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing known groups [63,106].…”