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. 2024 Nov 11;36(1):217.
doi: 10.1007/s40520-024-02870-z.

Validation of the German version of the SarQoL® questionnaire in sarcopenic and probable sarcopenic patients

Sebastian Martini  1 , Christopher Held  2 , Sabine Schluessel  2 , Olivia Tausendfreund  2 , Anna Schaupp  2 , Michaela Rippl  2 , Benedikt Schoser  3 , Ralf Schmidmaier  2 , Michael Drey  2
Affiliations

Validation of the German version of the SarQoL® questionnaire in sarcopenic and probable sarcopenic patients

Sebastian Martini et al. Aging Clin Exp Res. .

Abstract

Background: The German version of the SarQoL®, a sarcopenia-specific quality of life (QoL) questionnaire, has not been validated hindering its widespread use. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the German SarQoL®.

Methods: Via a cross-sectional study participants were recruited in two geriatric outpatient facilities and one acute geriatric ward in Munich (Germany). Sarcopenia and probable sarcopenia were diagnosed with the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) algorithm. From 185 participants (age 79.8 ± 6.1), 77 had probable sarcopenia, and 51 had sarcopenia. Participants completed the SarQoL® and the European Quality-of-Life 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaires. The validation included examination of the discriminative power, construct validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and floor/ceiling effects.

Results: Lower SarQoL®scores for sarcopenic (p = 0.002) and probable sarcopenic subjects (p < 0.001) compared to controls indicated good discriminative power. Consistent construct validity was found for sarcopenic subjects: moderate to high correlations with domains capturing similar constructs of the EQ-5D: 'Activities of daily living' (r = -0.58, p < 0.001), 'Mobility' (r = -0.72, p < 0.001) and low correlations with domains related to different constructs like 'Pain' (r = -0.32, p < 0.022). Similar correlations were found for probable sarcopenic subjects. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.8. Test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass coefficient correlation of = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.91-0.99), and no floor/ceiling effects were observed.

Conclusion: QoL was similarly reduced in both patient cohorts compared to controls. The German SarQoL® is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring QoL in patients > 65 years of age with sarcopenia and probable sarcopenia and can now be used in epidemiological studies and clinical trials in a German-speaking population.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS)-ID: DRKS00020504 (March 12th, 2021) .

Keywords: Health-related quality of life; Older adults; SarQoL®; Sarcopenia; Validation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Consent for publication Not applicable. (Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study, but the manuscript does not contain data from any individual person.) Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval The Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of LMU approved the study (Project no.: 23–0376).

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