Validation of the Turkish version of the Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ)

Enhancing life with celiac disease: unveiling effective tools for assessing health-related quality of life

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune chronic enteropathy provoked by gluten ingestion in genetically predisposed individuals. Considering it´s only safe treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet, the burden of living with the disease becomes evident, as well as the need to assess CD health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This review aims to identify and analyze the instruments used to evaluate the HRQOL of adults with CD. This integrative review using a systematic approach was designed to achieve high scientific standards. Accordingly, the search strategy was developed and executed as recommended by the guideline of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Detailed individual searches were developed to Pubmed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. After careful analysis of the papers, 43 studies were included, in which seven instruments were identified: Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ) (n=21), Celiac Disease Specific Quality of Life Instrument (CD-QOL) (n=17), Celiac Disease Assessment Questionnaire (CDAQ) (n=4), CeliacQ-7 (n=1), CeliacQ-27 (n=1), Black and Orfila´s self-developed instrument (n=1) and the Coeliac Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (CDQL) (n=1). The CDQ and CD-QOL were the two most applied instruments. Since the first focuses on the physical and mental symptoms related to the disease and the second focuses on the emotional repercussions of adhering to the GFD treatment for life (dysphoria), the CDQ application is an interesting option for countries that struggle with public policies for CD patients and patients with active CD. The CD-QOL could be used for countries with strict regulations for CD and gluten-free products and populations in remission. When comparing results among different populations, it is preferable to utilize culturally validated instruments, which have been applied across multiple countries, providing greater comparability between study findings.

Health-related quality of life among celiacs in Portugal: a comparison between general and specific questionnaires

Objective

This study aimed to compare the 36-Item Short Form Survey Instrument version 2 (SF-36-v2) (generic) and Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ) (specific) questionnaires used to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) in celiac Portuguese adult individuals.

Methods

This cross-sectional study used non-probabilistic sampling based on Portuguese celiac patients who accessed the online survey in 2022. The online data collection used a self-reported instrument composed of three parts: (i) socioeconomic, health, and gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence questions; (ii) SF-36 v2 - Portuguese version (generic questionnaire) and (iii) Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ) (specific questionnaire).

Results

A total of 234 individuals who accessed the survey completed the questionnaire. Seven of the eight SF-36 domains positively correlated to the specific questionnaire CDQ. The "General Health" domain (domain 4) showed a negative correlation with the CDQ. Differences in content between the two instruments might be able to explain this finding since the CDQ explores issues regarding the specificities of celiac disease (CD) and the lifelong GFD burden. About half of the sample from this study displayed poor diet adherence, it is possible that the SF-36 could not reflect the impact of CD treatment - the complete elimination of gluten from the diet - on patients' health. Therefore, this issue should be carefully evaluated in future research.

Conclusion

Specific validated questionnaires for CD individuals, such as the CDQ, contemplate social, economic, and clinical variables that permeate the patient's life context. Therefore, these instruments may be more suitable for evaluating QoL in this public. However, using a general questionnaire such as the SF-36 would be indicated for comparing QOL between celiac patients and the general population or even between CD and other disease individuals. In this case, we recommend assessing GFD compliance for control parallelly.

Quality of Life Perception among Portuguese Celiac Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ)

The aim of this study is to assess Portuguese celiac patients' quality of life (QoL) perception. A cross-sectional study was performed with a non-probability convenience sample of Portuguese celiac patients using an online self-administered celiac disease quality of life questionnaire (CDQ), previously validated for the Portuguese population. The final sample comprised 234 celiac patients, which included the following: primarily women (69.2%); aged between 18 and 49 years old (56.4%); with a partner (60.6%); with a high educational level (58.9%-graduated or post-graduated); following a gluten-free diet (GFD) (55.1%); and not using antidepressants (93.1%). The Portuguese CDQ presented good reliability and responsiveness in this sample of Portuguese celiac patients. In general, the CDQ in Portugal was affected by age at diagnosis (p = 0.017), educational level (p = 0.005), and compliance with GFD (p = 0.034). The emotion domain was affected only by using antidepressants (p = 0.036). The social domain was affected by gender (females had lower rates, p = 0.016), age at diagnosis (p = 0.009), educational level (p = 0.000), and compliance with a GFD (p = 0.002). The worries domain did not differ according to socioeconomic data. The symptoms domain was affected by compliance with GFD (p = 0.000), age at diagnosis (p = 0.000), and educational level (p = 0.014). Data on celiac QoL is essential to support the formulation and implementation of strategies to minimize the issues suffered by celiac patients, lowering their physical, emotional, and social burden. Additionally, data on Portuguese celiac disease patients using the CDQ will allow future comparative research among celiac populations from different countries.

The Investigation of Nutritional Status, Intestinal Permeability, and Quality of Life in People with Celiac Disease

BACKGROUND

Celiac disease is associated with impaired intestinal epithelial barrier integrity. Its consequences affect the nutritional status and quality of life of patients. This study aimed to determine nutritional status, intestinal permeability, and quality of life in people with celiac disease. It was researched whether patients who are non-compliant to gluten-free diet have higher serum zonulin levels and intestinal permeability.

METHODS

The study was completed with 44 celiac patients. Dietary records and a questionnaire were used to evaluate patients' compli ance to the gluten-free diet. Dietary records were analyzed by using a nutrition analysis program. Anthropometric measurements were taken. Body compositions were analyzed to assess the nutritional status of patients. Blood samples were collected and then zonulin levels and total serum proteins were measured to evaluate intestinal permeability. Celiac Disease Questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life scores.

RESULTS

Patients were divided into 2 groups considering compliance to the gluten-free diet and it was found that 17 patients were com pliant to the gluten-free diet, and 27 patients were non-compliant to the gluten-free diet. Serum zonulin, zonulin/total protein ratio, and intestinal permeability were higher in non-compliant to the gluten-free diet group (P < .05). There was no significant difference between anthropometric measurements, Celiac Disease Questionnaire scores, daily energy, and nutrient intakes of groups (P > .05).

CONCLUSION

The content of a gluten-free diet has a decisive role in the nutritional status and quality of life of celiac patients. Additionally, zonulin levels and intestinal permeability were higher in people with celiac disease who are non-compliant to gluten-free diet.

Quality of life of Moroccan patients with celiac disease: Arabic translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the celiac disease questionnaire

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Celiac disease (CD) management is based on a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD) that affects the quality of life (QoL) of patients with CD. Specific instruments have been used to evaluate this QoL, such as the CD-Questionnaire (CD-Q). This study aimed to translate, validate, and cross-culturally adapt the CD-Q in an Arabic version and then apply it to evaluate the QoL of Moroccan adult patients with CD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The Moroccan version of the CD-Q (M-CD-Q) was administered to 150 patients with CD, and 112 of them completed it. The reproducibility and reliability of the M-CD-Q were studied by the intraclass coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's α, respectively. Parametric and nonparametric tests, confirmatory factor analysis, and Spearman correlation were used for the statistical analysis performed by SPSS, and the goodness-of-fit test was determined using SPSS AMOS.

RESULTS

No difficulties were found during the translation and cultural adaptation of the CD-Q. Cronbach's α showed good internal consistency. The retest showed excellent reproducibility (ICC > 0.4). The study of the psychometric properties of the M-CD-Q showed good acceptance, zero ceiling effect, and floor effect. The model fit was good [(root mean square error of approximation = 0.075 (<0.08) and χ2 = 509.04, p < 0.001]. The total scores showed a neutral QoL. This QoL was worse in the worries subscale, which is related to gluten-free products. The GFD did not improve the QoL of the examined samples.

CONCLUSION

The M-CD-Q is the first reliable and adapted instrument in an Arab country for the evaluation of QoL in patients with CD. CD negatively influences this QoL, especially items related to gluten-free products.

Quality of Life in Teenagers and Adults With Coeliac Disease: From Newly Spanish Coeliac Disease Questionnaire Validation to Assessment in a Population-Based Study

Background

Coeliac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder elicited by the ingestion of gluten in genetically predisposed individuals. Gluten restriction in CD sufferers leads to numerous limitations in various aspects of daily life and can significantly impact the quality-of-life (QoL). The specific and widely used Coeliac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ) is an excellent tool to evaluate QoL in patients with CD, assessing physical, psychological, and social domains. This questionnaire is unavailable in Spain. Therefore, our study is the first to translate, culturally adapt, validate, and apply the Spanish version of CDQ to a representative sample of Spanish teenagers and adults with CD.

Methods

A total of 153 CD participants with biopsy-proven and self-reported gluten-free adherence were included in the cross-sectional study, which included four stages: (1) translation and retranslation of the French CDQ version into Spanish; (2) cultural adaptation and semantic evaluation; (3) CDQ validation through the internal consistency determination and reproducibility of the QoL; and (4) application of the questionnaire to Spanish teenagers and adults with CD and estimation of QoL using EQ-5D.

Results

The internal consistency and test–retest reliability of the Spanish CDQ were satisfactory and no ceiling or floor effects were detected. Significant correlations were identified between the CDQ scales, and the instrument for validation covering similar dimensions of the QoL was identified. The mean CDQ total score was 131.03 ± 24.1, and the social domain had the highest rating. There was no correlation between the time spent on a gluten-free diet and QoL. A significantly higher QoL score was reported among males and adolescents in the 15–17 age groups.

Conclusion

The newly Spanish CDQ is an appropriate tool to assess the QoL of the teenager and adult patients with CD. This study highlights the importance of identifying the affected scales to address actions to reduce the impact of the gluten-free diet burden of the coeliac patients and maintain public health regulations that support patients with chronic diseases such as CD.

Quality of life of Moroccan children with celiac disease: Arabic translation and validation of a specific celiac disease instrument

PURPOSE

Gluten-free diet (GFD) is a lonely lifelong management for patients with celiac disease (CD), which may affect their quality of life (QoL). This can be evaluated by generic or specific instruments. We aimed to translate, validate and cross-culturally adapt a specific-CD instrument to Moroccan-Arabic version (M-CD-DUX), and then apply it to evaluate the QoL of Moroccan celiac children.

DESIGN AND METHODS

CD-DUX instrument was translated and culturally adapted, and preliminarily evaluated on 15 children and their proxies. The reproducibility and internal consistency of M-CD-DUX were measured by intra-class coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach α tests respectively. The statistical analysis of data consisted was conducted using SPSS, and the Goodness-of-Fit test was measured by SPSS AMOS.

RESULTS

The reliability of M-CD-DUX instrument showed a good internal consistency and reproducibility. The psychometric properties of M-CD-DUX were acceptable, and the instrument's Model fit was good [(Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.062; χ2 = 603.08, p < 0.001]. M-CD-DUX was completed by 52 celiac children and their proxies. It showed a worse QoL for all items and subscales, and no difference was observed between the QoL of celiac children already under GFD and those recently diagnosed.

CONCLUSION

M-CD-DUX was the first reliable and adapted instrument used to evaluate the QoL of celiac children in an Arab country, emphasizing a negative impact of CD on their QoL.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Therefore, improving their QoL requires to make gluten-free products available to them at an appropriate price as well as a good integration into society.

Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children and Adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Development and Validation of the Questionnaire

Studies have shown that children and adolescents with autism and their relatives present a high level of stress and more family problems, impacting parents' and caregivers' quality of life (QoL). Despite studies on this subject, there is no specific questionnaire to evaluate QoL in parents or caregivers of children and adolescents with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in Brazil. Therefore, this study's primary purpose was to develop and validate a specific questionnaire to evaluate QoL in these individuals. The study was performed using the following steps: development of the ASD Parent/caregiver QoL questionnaire (autistic spectrum disorder parent/caregiver quality of life-ASDPC-QoL), subjective evaluation, validation of the questionnaire by the Delphi method, assessment of internal consistency, responsiveness, and reliability of the ASLPC-QoL, and administration of the questionnaire to 881 Brazilian ASD caregivers or parents. ASDPC-QoL comprises 28 questions divided into four domains (social, concerns, physical and mental health) with good psychometric properties (reproducibility, reliability, internal consistency, responsiveness, and validity). Our data showed that worries and physical health were the domains with the lowest scores in ASDPCA-QoL. ASDPCA-QoL did not differ among gender and age of child considering the total and all domains. Older participants (≥41 y/o) presented the best scores for social and worries domains but did not differ in other domains and the total. Parents or caregivers of ASD children diagnosed for more than three years have better mental and physical health domains than those recently diagnosed (up to 1 year) but did not differ in the total and other domains. Individuals with a partner and with the highest educational level present the best score for the social domain. Employed individuals showed better scores than unemployed ones for all domains and the total, except for worries, which did not differ. It also occurred comparing the individuals that do not use antidepressants and the ones that use them. Assessing and better understanding the QoL of caregivers is highly relevant. By understanding the social, worries, physical, and emotional health domains of caregivers, it is possible to track harmful aspects, prevent and treat pathologies, in addition to assisting in the implementation of effective public policies.

Evaluation of Quality of Life of Adult Patients with Celiac Disease in Argentina: From Questionnaire Validation to Assessment

This cross-sectional study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, validate, and apply a Celiac Disease Quality of Life (CD-QoL) questionnaire to a representative sample of Argentina’s celiac population. A previously developed and validated questionnaire (Celiac Disease Questionnaire: CDQ) was chosen as a tool for assessing the health-related quality of Life (HRQoL) of adult celiac patients in Argentina. Therefore, the study was performed in four stages: (a) translation and re-translation of the CDQ to Argentinian-Spanish language; (b) cultural adaptation and semantic evaluation; based on the Delphi method (c) validation of the CDQ by applying it to a representative sample of Argentinian celiac patients; (d) statistical analysis of the data. The result of stages (a) and (b) was a translated and culturally adapted an Argentinian-Spanish version of the CDQ, which was generated after reaching consensus between the corresponding four (phase a) and 10 (phase b) professionals involved in the different phases of this process. Among them, we can cite bilingual healthcare professionals with extensive experience in research and celiac disease, celiac patients, gastroenterologists, general practitioners, dieticians, and psychologists. The resulting CDQ proved to be an appropriate measuring tool to assess the HRQoL of Argentinian celiac patients confirmed by a good fit in the confirmatory factor validity analysis (RMSEA < 0.001 and χ² = 267.325, df = 313, p = 0.971) and high values of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.7). A total of 191 participants accessed the questionnaire, and 171 individuals from 20 out of 23 Argentinian states completed the questionnaire. There was no correlation between higher educational level nor marital status with QoL. Individuals on a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) and those who do not take antidepressants showed higher QoL. Male gender also presented better HRQoL. There was no correlation between differences in HRQoL and age of the respondent, age at diagnosis, symptoms at diagnosis, or having other chronic diseases. However, a significantly higher score of HRQoL was reported among those individuals who disclosed having knowledge of CD related national regulations and benefits. This study highlights the importance of maintaining current public health regulations that support chronic disease patients, such as celiac patients.

Worldwide public policies for celiac disease: are patients well assisted?

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate public policies (PP) to celiac disease (CD) patients and classify countries regarding the level of assistance provided by the Public Policies for Celiac Disease Score.

METHODS

Countries were scored from 0 to 6 according to the existence of PP regarding industrial food and meal regulations, health service support, food allowance/financial incentive, gluten-free (GF) food certification, and CD associations. Subsequently, countries were allocated to continents. In total, 192 countries are registered as members of the World Health Organization.

RESULTS

The European continent (score 3.63) is the most advanced in CD patient care, followed by South America (2.86), North America (1.05), Asia (0.53), Oceania (0.5), and Africa (0.27). Industrial food regulations were the most frequent PP (40.6%). 15.6% of the countries display regulations for meals; 13.5% have health service support; 13.5% have policies of food allowance/financial incentive; 19.3% have GF certification; and 34.4% have celiac associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Policies regarding GF meals and food safety certification, health service support, and financial incentives need improvement to ensure correct treatment and reduce the diseases' financial burden for celiac patients and governments.

Quality of life in people with ongoing symptoms of coeliac disease despite adherence to a strict gluten-free diet

People with Coeliac disease who suffer persistent symptoms despite adherence to a gluten-free diet are at a greater risk of a reduced health related quality of life. The purpose of this paper is to report the quality of life experienced by this specific group of patients in Australia. A Coeliac Disease Specific Questionnaire (CDQ) was administered to 45 people who were enrolled in a clinical trial and reported persistent symptoms of Coeliac disease despite adherence to a strict gluten free diet. The clinical trial was based in New South Wales, Australia. The instrument used was a subscale and total scores of a CDQ measuring health related quality of life. At baseline the overall mean CDQ score was 147 ± 3.31 (optimum 196) consisting of 4 subscales; gastrointestinal 33 ± 0.88, emotional 32.9 ± 0.99, worries 39.8 ± 0.79 and social 41 ± 6.12 each with a potential score of 49. The health related quality of life of people reporting persistent symptoms of Coeliac disease despite adherence to a gluten free diet is sub-optimal with concerningly low scores for emotional quality.

Measuring Quality of Life in Parents or Caregivers of Children and Adolescents with Celiac Disease: Development and Content Validation of the Questionnaire

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten and affects approximately 1% of the global population. Currently, the only treatment available is lifelong strict adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD). Chronic diseases such as CD affect patients and their family members’ quality of life (QoL); particularly parents and caregivers who play an essential role in the child’s care and treatment. A higher level of psychological distress has been found in the parents of children with chronic ailments due to limited control over the child’s daily activities and the child’s illness. In this context, the validation of a specific questionnaire of QoL is a valuable tool to evaluate the difficulties faced by parents or caregivers of children with this chronic illness. A specific questionnaire for this population can elucidate the reasons for stress in their daily lives as well as the physical, mental, emotional, and social impact caused by CD. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a specific questionnaire to evaluate the QoL of parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with CD. Overall results showed that a higher family income resulted in a higher score of the worries domain. In addition, having another illness besides CD decreased the QoL (except in the worries domain). The other variables studied did not present a statistically significant impact on the QoL, which was shown to be low in all aspects. Knowledge of the QoL is important to help implement effective strategies to improve celiac patients’ quality of life and reduce their physical, emotional, and social burden.

Assessment of Quality of Life, Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Serbian Children with Celiac Disease and their Parents

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the level of health-related quality of life (QoL) and presence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in Serbian children with celiac disease from the perspective of patients and their parents.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study investigated the group of children and adolescents with celiac disease aged 5-18 y, and at least one parent of each patient with celiac disease. The patients and their parents were recruited at the Institute of Mother and Child Health of Serbia and the University Children's Hospital in Belgrade. The instruments used in this study were child-self and parent-proxy versions of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorder (SCARED) and Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ). Additional information was collected from the medical records of each patient.

RESULTS

According to the PedsQL questionnaire, the quality of life was similarly assessed by both parents and their children (p > 0.05), as well as the presence of depressive symptoms according to MFQ questionnaire. However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the total score of the SCARED questionnaire for children and parents [total score (p < 0.05), panic-somatic disturbance (p < 0.01) and social anxiety (p < 0.01)].

CONCLUSIONS

The patients and their parents in Serbia have similarly assessed the quality of life of children with celiac disease, but the differences in the scores of SCARED questionnaire indicate that it is necessary to include both children and parents in the assessment of QOL.

Quality of life in coeliac disease: item reduction, scale development and psychometric evaluation of the Coeliac Disease Assessment Questionnaire (CDAQ)

BACKGROUND

A better understanding of coeliac disease can be achieved by assessing health-related quality of life alongside clinical factors. Existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) evaluating quality of life in coeliac disease have not been developed in accordance with the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines.

AIM

To develop a PROM in accordance with best practice guidelines, capturing all aspects of quality of life important to adults with coeliac disease.

METHODS

Candidate items for the Coeliac Disease Assessment Questionnaire (CDAQ) were refined through item appraisal, expert review, cognitive interviews, and a translatability assessment. A cross-sectional survey determined further item reduction and the CDAQ's structure. The final CDAQ was administered alongside the Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF?36v2) in a second survey to assess construct validity and test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

Pre-testing the 64 candidate items revealed a range of issues which guided their refinement and reduction, resulting in the final CDAQ with 32 items representing 5 subscales: stigma (eight items), dietary burden (eight items), symptoms (five items), social isolation (five items), and worries and concerns (six items). Cronbach's alpha ranged between 0.82 and 0.88 for all domains. Further results showed CDAQ scores were more strongly correlated with the SF-36v2's mental health dimensions, as expected. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.89.

CONCLUSION

The CDAQ is a reliable and valid coeliac-specific measure that captures all aspects of quality of life important to adults with coeliac disease. Further work is underway to assess the CDAQ's responsiveness to change.

Quality of Life of Celiac Patients in Brazil: Questionnaire Translation, Cultural Adaptation and Validation

(1) Background: Celiac disease (CD) is a common autoimmune disorder. The manifestations of the disease and the obligatory life-long gluten-free diet (GFD) are associated with the impairment of patients’ quality of life. Therefore, the present study aimed to translate, culturally adapt and validate a celiac disease quality of life (CD-QoL) questionnaire and apply it to a representative number of Brazilian CD patients. (2) Methods: A cross-cultural Brazilian-Portuguese version of the CD-QoL was developed according to revised international guidelines. The questionnaire was administered to 450 celiac patients. The reliability, reproducibility and validity were studied. (3) Results: The Brazilian CD-QoL questionnaire presents valid measures of reproducibility and internal consistency. Early diagnosis is related to higher scores of Brazilian CD-QoL social, sub- and total scale. There was a positive correlation between higher education level and higher QoL. Individuals with partners tend to have a better emotional subscale of QoL. CD-patients who follow a strict GFD have highest QoL scale values. Men scored higher than women on the CD-QoL. All results were statistically significant except for the gastrointestinal subscale. (4) Conclusions: Brazilian CD-QoL allows comparative research between different celiac populations in the world. QoL research will help in the development of effective strategies to improve Brazilian celiac patients’ quality of life.

Transcultural Adaptation and Validation of Persian Version of Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ); A Specific Questionnaire to Measure Quality of Life of Iranian Patients

Background

The assessment of health-related quality of life has become an important primary or secondary outcome measure in clinical and epidemiologic studies. The aim of this study was to validate a Persian version of Celiac Disease Questionnaire (CDQ) for Celiac disease (CD) among Iranian patients.

Materials and Methods

The English version of the CDQ adapted to the Persian language by a forward-backward translation by 3 professional bilingual translators (1 medical, 2 nonmedical). The content validity of translated questionnaire were studied by 5 experts who complete the validity form regarding the questionnaire. Then in a pilot study, translated CDQ completed by 81 CD patients who referred to Taleghani Hospital, Tehran. For assessing the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient have been done, using Lisrel and SPSS software.

Results

Of 81 CD patients entered to this study with mean age of 30.54 years old, 71.6% were female. Also, 56.8% were married and 45.7% were high educated. The mean of CDQ total score was 119.18±34. The calculated Cronbach's alpha coefficient for CDQ questionnaire was 0.9. Also, for each subgroups the Cronbach's alpha coefficient were calculated as the following; emotion: 0.92, Social: 0.89, Worries: 0.73, Gastrointestinal: 0.78. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that all questions could be remain in questionnaire respectively.

Conclusion

The reliability of the Persian version of CDQ was excellent with Cronbach's alpha coefficients and Persian version of CDQ retains the psychometric properties of the original instrument and should be useful to assess outcome in studies and clinical trials involving Iranian patients with CD.

[The application of the Multi-Touch pad for the evaluation of the fine motor activity of the wrist]

AIM

The objective of the present study was to elaborate the method for the evaluation of the fine motor activity of the wrist in the patients presenting with wrist movement disorders resulting from central hemiparesis and to demonstratee the reliability of such method through the calculation of the standard error of measurements and minimal the detectable change (MDC95%).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study population was comprised of 42 patients who had undergone ischaemic stroke and suffered from the impairment of the upper limb functions . The deficit of the fine motor skills was estimated with the use of the original multi-touch diagnostic technique. The results of the assessment were compared with those of the measurement of upper limb motor activity based on the validated scales, such as the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale and the Nine Hole Peg Test (PHT).

RESULTS

The study with the application of the multi-touch method for diagnostics of the fine motor skills has demonstrated the high internal consistency of the measurements, with the Cronbach's Alpha Reliability Coefficient amounting to 0.98. The re-test reliability was high, with the ICC=0.98 (95% CI 0.97-0.99). The Spearman rank-order correlation with the locomotion scale estimates gave evidence of the good associative links, with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scale correlation coefficient making 0.55-0.66 and the Nine Hole Peg Test findings being -0.7. The Minimal Detectable Change (MDC95%) for the multi-touch method was found to be 12.67%.

CONCLUSION

The objective diagnostics of the fine motor skill disturbances with the use of the original multi-touch method has demonstrated its high reliability and a high degree of correlation with the estimates obtained with the application of the modern validated scales in the patients who had undergone ischaemic stroke. Therefore, this method can be recommended for clinical use.