Quality of life and its predictors among Hong Kong Chinese patients with diabetes

Abstract

To adapt, cross-culturally, an established quality of life (QoL) scale for Hong Kong Chinese patients with diabetes; to measure their QoL and to identify the predictors of QoL in this population. Healthcare providers are called on to assess and enhance the QoL of patients with diabetes. However, there is a lack of empirical QoL data pertaining to such individuals in China. The diabetes-specific QoL scale (DQoL) developed by Jacobson and the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial research group was cross-culturally adapted for use in a sample of 206 Hong Kong Chinese patients recruited from a diabetes specialist outpatient clinic. Demographic and clinical data were also collected. The cross-cultural adaptation process produced a Hong Kong Chinese version of the DQoL scale with 37 items (HKC-DQoL-37) that demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = 0.87) and acceptable test-retest validity (ICC 0.70, 95% CI 0.36-0.87). Discriminant validity was confirmed by comparing QoL scores between patients with and without insulin treatment. The QoL status of this sample (Mean = 2.2, SD = 0.5) is similar to that of Chinese immigrants and Caucasians in North America. Multiple regression analyses identified four predictors of poor QoL: (i) younger age, (ii) with diabetes complications, (iii) with admission due to hypoglycaemia, (iv) on insulin treatment. Findings provide preliminary evidence on the validity and reliability of the HKC-DQoL-37. The four predictors of poor DQoL in Hong Kong Chinese patients are consistent with those identified in the West. Understanding these predictors of poor QoL could help nurses and others to design and deliver appropriate interventions to these patients.