Validation of the Hungarian Version of the SarQoL® Questionnaire and Its Association with the SARC-F Screening Tool

Background: Following the publication of a culturally adapted version of the original SarQoL® questionnaire in Hungarian language, we aimed to test its psychometric properties and its association with the SARC-F screening instrument. Design: This cross-sectional validation study recruited elderly people from 2 nursing homes and an endocrinology clinic. All participants were screened for sarcopenia with the SARC-F tool, had their muscle mass measured with bioelectrical impedance analysis, as well as grip strength and gait speed. Sarcopenia was diagnosed with the EWGSOP2 criteria. Participants completed the SarQoL questionnaire, the SF-36, the EQ-5D and the EQ-VAS. Validation consisted of analyzing discriminative power, internal consistency, construct validity and floor- and ceiling effects. A multivariate regression model was used to evaluate the association between QoL, the SARC-F questionnaire, and a number of demographic and clinical variables. Results: A total of 70 participants, aged 80.00 (68.50–82.50) years, were included. Discriminative power between sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic subjects was found for all domains, except domain 7 (Fears) when dividing study population based on the SARC-F score. We also found significantly lower QoL for domains 4 (Functionality) and 5 (Activities of daily living) when splitting participants based on muscle strength (Probable sarcopenia - EWGSOP2 definition). All domains showed a strong or moderate correlation with the total SarQoL score. Conceptually similar domains of other generic QoL questionnaires significantly correlated with the total SarQol score, confirming its convergent validity. Low correlations were found with different domains (divergent validity). No floor or ceiling effects were observed. Using a regression model, the components “strength” and “stair climbing” of the SARC-F questionnaire were significantly associated with the QoL of our patients assessed with the SarQoL instrument. Conclusion: Sarcopenia risk assessed with the Sarc-F instrument was significantly associated with QoL measured with the SarQol questionnaire. High internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity and no floor and ceiling effects characterised the Hungarian language SarQoL® questionnaire. Due to some limitations, further multi-center designed studies are needed to verify the validity of the SarQol questionnaire.