THE BRAZILIAN VERSION OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT OF GROWTH HORMONE DEFICIENCY IN ADULTS (QOL-AGHDA) – FOUR- STAGE TRANSLATION AND VALIDATION

OBJECTIVE: This study reports on the Brazilian Portuguese adaptation of the QoL-AGHDA (Quality of Life Assessment of Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults) for use in adult growth hormone deficient (GHD) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The translation process adopted the dual panel methodology. The questionnaire was tested through field-test interviews (16 GHD patients). In the final stage, data from 120 GHD patients (81 included in a test-retest analysis) were analyzed for internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity and validity among known groups. RESULTS: The translation panels were successful and the draft version was amended to improve the wording as a result of the field-test interviews. Cronbach's alpha was 0.90 and test-retest reliability 0.88. QoL-AGHDA scores had the expected pattern of association with NHP scale scores and QoL-AGHDA was able to differentiate significantly between patients based on patient-reported general health (p < 0.01) and QoL (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The adaptation of the QoL-AGHDA for a Brazilian population was successful and the adapted questionnaire was shown to be reliable and valid.