Introduction:

The Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index (SAQLI) is the most comprehensive specific instrument for assessing quality of life in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, there is no cross-cultural adaptation, nor a psychometric validation, of this questionnaire in Colombia, so its performance is unknown.

Objective:

To perform a psychometric evaluation of the Spanish version of the SAQLI questionnaire culturally adapted to the Colombian context.

Materials and methods:

Scale validation study conducted in 173 patients who attended the Clínica Universidad de la Sabana (Chía, Colombia) or the Fundación Neumológica Colombiana (Bogotá, Colombia) between June 2017 and April 2019 to undergo a polysomnography (PSG). The culturally adapted version of the SAQLI questionnaire was administered 3 times: before the PSG, 15 days later, and 3 months after initiating continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment (the latter in 22 patients). Internal consistency, reliability, and sensitivity to change were assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and paired samples t-test, respectively.

Results:

Differences were observed in the scores obtained in the 4 domains evaluated (A-D) before and after starting treatment, being statistically significant in A (4.92 vs. 5.70; p=0.038) and C (4.61 vs. 5.52; p=0.003). In addition, adequate internal consistency and reliability were found in domains A, B, and C (α=0.884-0.935 and ICC=0.793-0.826, respectively).

Conclusion:

The Spanish version of the SAQLI questionnaire adapted to the Colombian cultural and linguistic context is adequate for the objective assessment of quality of life in patients with OSA and is sensitive to change after initiating CPAP treatment.

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