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Assessing Immune Fitness in Oncological Rehabilitation-Validity and Responsiveness of the Immune Status Questionnaire
Anne M S de Hoop1,2,3, Johanna A Eggink1,4, Cindy Veenhof1,3
1Research Group Innovation of Human Movement Care, Research Center for Healthy and Sustainable Living, HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, 3583CS Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Background:
Immune fitness (IF) reflects the body's ability to mount appropriate immune responses. Monitoring IF could improve tailored treatment in oncological rehabilitation. The Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ) and the Single-Item Scale (SIS) were developed to assess IF, but their clinimetric properties in cancer rehabilitation remain unknown.
Aims:
To evaluate the construct validity, responsiveness, and correlation between the ISQ and the SIS in oncological rehabilitation.
Methods:
The study population included people participating in oncological rehabilitation during or within one year after medical treatment. Data were collected prospectively via questionnaires. Construct validity and responsiveness were assessed through predefined hypotheses, including correlations with fatigue, sleep problems, malnutrition risk, activity impairment, and physical functioning.
Results:
In total, 97 individuals were included in the analyses. Median ISQ and SIS scores were 8/10 and 7/10, respectively. Correlations ranged from r = -0.21 to r = -0.50. Only the SIS correlations with fatigue and physical functioning, and the ISQ correlation with fatigue, met the predefined thresholds. Responsiveness hypotheses were not confirmed.
Conclusions:
The ISQ and the SIS demonstrated low construct validity and responsiveness in this population. IF scores were higher than expected. Correlations showed links between fatigue, physical functioning, and IF. Future research should develop tools tailored to the complex immune disturbances experienced by cancer survivors.
