Development and validation of uterine fibroid quality of life and health-related lifestyle (UF-QLHRL) questionnaire in an Indian population

Purpose: Uterine fibroid (UF) significantly impacts quality of life (QL). Adopting a healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of fibroid development. We aim to develop and validate the UF Quality of Life and Health-related Lifestyle (UF-QLHRL) questionnaire to understand the QL and health-related lifestyle (HRL) of women with UF. Method: A quantitative research design approach was used in the study. A thirty-two-item questionnaire with two sections was developed after extensive literature reviews and expert panel discussions. Further, content validation with eight experts was carried out, and the domains were subsequently validated. The questionnaire was then translated and pretested. Data from 364 women with UF were collected using purposive sampling. The reliability was tested using Cronbach's alpha, and construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Item-level content validity indexes (I-CVI) ranged between 0.85 and 1, while the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) was 0.96. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.76, which indicated good internal consistency. Adequate model fit indices were obtained after considering the removal of poorly loaded indicators. Finally, the UF-QLHRL questionnaire was developed with 25 questions spanning seven domains. Conclusion: The UF-QLHRL obtained reliable validity indices and can be used to assess the quality of life and health-related lifestyle of women with uterine fibroids. Therefore, the results imply that the questionnaire's content is valid.