Turkish language validity and reliability of the severe asthma Questionnaire (SAQ)

The Severe Asthma Questionnaire (SAQ) is a validated tool used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with severe asthma. This study aimed to evaluate the Turkish language validity, reliability, and concurrent validity of the SAQ in comparison with other validated tools in Turkish.

This was a multi-centre, real-life, prospective observational study. Patients with severe asthma who had been receiving biologic therapy for at least six months were enrolled. After translation with cultural adaptation, the Turkish version of the SAQ (TR-SAQ), the Asthma Control Test (ACT), and the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) were administered alongside pulmonary function tests on the same day. The TR-SAQ was repeated on day 14 ± 2. The validity and reliability were assessed based on the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) criteria.

Among the 197 severe asthma patients included, 73.4% (n:144) were female, with a mean age of 53.6 ± 13 years. The mean total score of the SAQ (16-item) was 5.09 ± 1.41 (out of 7), and the global SAQ score was 68.24 ± 21.23. The TR-SAQ demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.955). Test-retest reliability was r = 0.785 (p < 0.001). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value was 0.93, and Bartlett's test p-value was <0.001, supporting factorability. SAQ total scores correlated significantly with ACT (r = 0.597, p < 0.001) and AQLQ (r = 0.727, p < 0.001). No significant differences in SAQ scores were observed across gender, BMI, or comorbidities (p > 0.05).

Turkish physicians can use TR-SAQ, a valid, reliable HRQoL assessment tool, for severe asthma patients.