Reliability and validity of a newly developed self-administrated online questionnaire assessing the quality of life for allergic rhinitis in China: The QoLAR.

Background: There are a few effective tools in China to assess the geography, diet, and symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. Existing generic tools need cultural adaptation better to evaluate AR's impact on quality of life. This study aimed to develop the Quality-of-Life Questionnaire for AR patients (QoLAR), adapt it to Chinese, and assess its reliability and validity.

Materials and methods: The present study was conducted in the following five phases: 1) Phase 1, item generation based on the literature review on AR and questionnaire development; 2) Phase 2, cultural adaptation and translation forward and backward from English to Chinese and vice versa; 3) Phase 3, pretest on 61 respondents via online messaging platform WeChat and revision of the questionnaire based on input from respondents and experts; 4) Phase 4, pilot study on 169 respondents via online messaging platform WeChat; and 5) Phase 5, statistical analysis for descriptive, reliability tests using item-total correlations and Cronbach's ɑ coefficient, and validity test using item and scale content validity indices (I-CVI, S-CVI/Ave, and S-CVI/UA).

Results: The final version of QoLAR comprises 44 items in four domains: sociodemographic, health status and history of AR, dietary habits, and environmental exposure. The value for Cronbach's ɑ is 0.903, and all three validity indices scored 1.00.

Conclusions: A specific quality-of-life questionnaire for AR, known as QoLAR, has been created with acceptable validity and reliability. It is appropriate for an online self-reported survey and could be helpful to Chinese healthcare professionals like nurses and clinicians.