Reliability and validity of the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short Form (WEL-SF) in preoperative patients with bariatric and metabolic surgery

Objective To translate and adapt the English version of the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire Short Form (WEL-SF) and to evaluate its reliability as well as validity in obese people seeking bariatric and metabolic surgery. Methods This questionnaire was translated based on Brislin model. The Chinese version of WEL-SF was formed by revising and adjusting the questionnaire through pilot survey and expert panel discussion. From January to August 2017, 95 patients with bariatric and metabolic surgery at a Class Ⅲ Grade A hospital of Jiangsu Province were selected by convenience sampling. They were investigated with the Chinese version of WEL-SF. And then, the reliability and validity of this questionnaire was evaluated. Results Converge validity analysis showed that the total score of the WEL-SF had a positive correlation with the score of general self-efficacy (P<0.05) and had a negative correlation with the severity of depression (P<0.05) . There was a statistical difference in the score the WEL-SF among patients with different ages (P<0.05) . Exploratory factor analysis extracted a total of two factors with 70.993% for the accumulated variance contribution. The Cronbach's α value of the WEL-SF was 0.876. Conclusions The WEL-SF reflects eating self-efficacy. The Chinese version of WEL-SF has high reliability and validity. It can be used to evaluate eating self efficacy in obese people with bariatric and metabolic surgery. Key words: Obesity; Bariatric and metabolic surgery; Eating self efficiency; Reliability; Validity