Translation and validation of the Cantonese version of the esophageal-atresia-quality of-life questionnaires for pediatric patients in Hong Kong [Poster presentation]

Abstract

<p><strong>Purpose: </strong></p><p>To evaluate the Cantonese translation of the Esophageal-Atresia-Quality-of-life (EA-QOL) Questionnaires and to determine its linguistic and content validity. </p><p><strong>Method: </strong></p><p>The EA-QOL questionnaires are disease-specific questionnaires and were developed in Sweden and Germany. They evaluate the health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) in children with esophageal atresia (EA) aged 2-7 and 8-17 years. The questionnaires were initially developed in Swedish and was subsequently translated to multiple languages including English. Forward-backward translation into Cantonese, expert reviews and cognitive debriefing interviews with 12 Cantonese-speaking Chinese families of children with EA were performed. Feedback on each question from the patients and the parents were obtained. The clarity and appropriateness of each question, as well as the language usage, were discussed with the participants throughout the interview.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong></p><p>There were no major issues identified. All participants rated the items of the questionnaires appropriate and easy to understand. A few minor descriptive vocabulary were adjusted to improve clarity and specificity of the questions as per the suggestions of the participants.</p><p>​​​​​​​<strong>Conclusion: </strong></p><p>Good linguistic and content validity were demonstrated by the Cantonese version of the EA-QOL questionnaires. These disease-specific questionnaires would be useful in HRQOL research in Cantonese-speaking children with EA.</p>