Reliability of a specific questionnaire to evaluate quality of life in people with osteoarthritis

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of The Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life questionnaire in a Columbian older adult population with knee and hip osteoarthritis.

The methodological approach of this study was quantitative, with a cross-sectional design. Respondents completed the questionnaire with a period of 5 to 8 days between measurements. The psychometric properties of reproducibility, internal consistency and level of agreement of the questionnaire were determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and Bland-Altman graphical analysis, respectively.

Sixty-two older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip aged between 57 and 82 responded to the questionnaire. Almost perfect reproducibility (CCI=.89) was found for the domain of physical activity, and substantial reproducibility (CCI=.62-.77) for the domains of pain, mental health and activities. A very satisfactory internal consistency was also obtained for the domains of mental health and physical activity (alpha=.90-.94), while that for pain was adequate (alpha=.89). As soon as the level of agreement was established, the mean of the differences in the domains of physical activity, main and mental health was -7.0, -8.0 and -6.9 points, respectively.

The Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life questionnaire showed good psychometric properties principally in the domains of physical activity, pain and mental health. This questionnaire can be used in the clinical setting, but requires adjustment to be used in research.