Validation of the Dutch Version of the BODY-Q Measuring Appearance, Health-related Quality of Life, and Experience of Healthcare in Patients Undergoing Bariatric and Body Contouring Surgery


 
 
 The BODY-Q is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) developed for use in bariatric and body contouring surgery.
 
 
 
 The objective of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Dutch version of the BODY-Q.
 
 
 
 The BODY-Q consists of 163 items in 21 independently functioning scales that measure appearance, health-related quality of life (HRQL) and experience of care. The data used to validate the Dutch BODY-Q were provided by two prospective multicenter cohort studies across three hospitals in the Netherlands. The BODY-Q was administered before and after surgery at 3 or 4 months and 12 months. Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT) analysis was used to evaluate the BODY-Q for targeting, category threshold order, Rasch model fit, Person Separation Index (PSI), and differential item functioning (DIF) by language (original English data versus Dutch data).
 
 
 
 Data were collected between January 2016 and May 2019. A total of 876 participants were included in the study who provided 1614 assessments. Validity was supported by three RMT findings: most scales showed good targeting, 160/163 (98.2%) items evidenced ordered thresholds, and 142/163 (87.1%) items fit to the RMT model. Reliability was high with PSI values >0.70 for 19/21 scales. There was negligible influence of DIF by language on person item locations and the scales scoring.
 
 
 
 This study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the Dutch BODY-Q for use in bariatric and body contouring patients in the Netherlands. The Dutch BODY-Q can be used in (inter)national research and clinical practice.
