Validation of the Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) to assess obstacles in living with type 2 diabetes in a Belgian population

Abstract

The aim of this study was to validate the Dutch version of the Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) [H. Hearnshaw, K. Wright, J. Dale, J. Sturt, E. Vermeire, P. Van Royen, Development and validation of the Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) to assess obstacles in living with Type 2 diabetes, Diabetic Med. 24 (2007) 878-882] assessing people living with type 2 diabetes' obstacles to adhere to treatment recommendations. The goal is to have at one's disposal an instrument to identify obstacles to adhering to treatment recommendations for people living with type 2 diabetes in a Dutch speaking population. Participants were recruited from a pragmatic sample of general practices in Flanders (Belgium). In accordance with the validation procedure in the UK [H. Hearnshaw, K. Wright, J. Dale, J. Sturt, E. Vermeire, P. Van Royen, Development and validation of the Diabetes Obstacles Questionnaire (DOQ) to assess obstacles in living with Type 2 diabetes, Diabetic Med. 24 (2007) 878-882], responders also completed the Dutch version of a quality of life questionnaire (ADDQoL) [C. Bradley, C. Todd, T. Gorton, E. Symonds, A. Martin, R. Plowright, The development of an individualised questionnaire measure of perceived impact of diabetes on quality of life: the ADDQoL. Qual. Life Res. 8 (1999) 79-91] and the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale as golden standard [G. Welch, A.M. Jacobson, W.H. Polowsky, The Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale. An evaluation of its utility. Diabetes Care 20 (1997) 760-766]. Some biomedical variables such as HbA1c were collected also. Each scale showed sufficient reliability with Cronbach's alpha (>0.76). Each subscale had a factor structure of no more than 4, and a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of 0.75. Criterion validity was shown by significant correlation with the PAID and construct validity by a correlation with HbA1c. Construct validity has also been shown by significant correlations between ADDQoL and the DOQ Obstacles of Lifestyle changes scale. The Dutch version of the DOQ is a feasible and valid instrument for the assessment of obstacles to adherence to treatment recommendations in people living with type 2 diabetes.