Measurement characteristics of Slovenian translation of »The SWAL-QOL« questionnaire

The act of swallowing is a complex process involving a large number of organs, muscles and nerves. There are many different factors affecting swallowing, while compliance with the process of breathing is also necessary. A typical population does mostly not have problems with swallowing, but difficulties may start with ageing, various injuries, and neurodegenerative illnesses. We note swallowing disorders or dysphagia when we estimate that at least one of the stages of swallowing has been interrupted. Dysphagia often causes aspiration, which can seriously compromise the patient's health. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with swallowing disorders with a multidisciplinary approach, since each expert shares his own knowledge and contributes to the rehabilitation process. The latter is planned according to the acquired diagnostic data, such as the cause of the problems and signs of the disorder itself. During the rehabilitation process and treatment of swallowing disorders, we must not forget the quality of life of people with swallowing disorders, since feeding, in addition to all others, also has a social function and influences the emotional state of the patient. The first and most widely used measuring instrument for determining the quality of life of people with swallowing disorders is SWAL-QOL, which has been translated into 14 languages, and I have translated it to the Slovene language. In the empirical part, I have tested measurement characteristics of the Slovene translation of the SWAL-QOL questionnaire on a typical population. The study included 187 people of different age groups and of both genders, with no neurological problems. The tested individuals collected a total of 88.22 points (+/- 8.8) on average, the lowest average score was seen at sleep and fatigue assessment scales. Reliability of the questionnaire was verified by the Cronbach alpha coefficient, which was 0.947 for the entire questionnaire, indicating a high level of reliability. Only two assessment scales had the Cronbach alpha coefficient value below 0.7, i.e. sleep and feeding duration assessment scale. Four experts confirmed the substantive validity, and I confirmed the constructive validity with an exploratory factor analysis, which meaningfully divided the items to six factors. With the variation coefficient and the Ferguson Delta coefficient, I examined the discriminatory nature of the questionnaire. The first coefficient is 9.975 % and the second 0.99 for the entire questionnaire. This means that the discrimination of the SWAL-QOL-SI questionnaire is excellent. I then tested correlations between the individual scales and differences in gender and age. It turned out that all the links between the assessment scales are statistically significant, while gender and age have not proved to be statistically significant variables. I conclude that the SWAL-QOL-SI questionnaire is a reliable and valid measuring device for use in the Slovenian area