Psychometric evaluation of the IWQOL-lite (Spanish version) when applied to a sample of obese patients awaiting bariatric surgery

Background: Obesity may have an impact on key aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). In this context, the Impact of Weight Quality of Life (IWQOL) questionnaire was the first scale designed to assess HRQOL. The aim of the present study was twofold: to assess HRQOL in a sample of Spanish patients awaiting bariatric surgery and to determine the psychometric properties of the IWQOL-Lite and its sensitivity to detect differences in HRQOL across groups. Methods: Participants were 109 obese adult patients (BMI≥35 kg/m ²) from Barcelona, to whom the following measurement instruments were applied: IWQOL-Lite, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, Brief Symptom Inventory, and self-perception items. Results: Descriptive data regarding the IWQOL-Lite scores obtained by these patients are reported. Principal components analysis revealed a five-factor model accounting for 72.05% of the total variance, with factor loadings being adequate for all items. Corrected item-total correlations were acceptable for all items. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were excellent both for the subscales (0.88-0.93) and the total scale (0.95). The relationship between the IWQOL-Lite and other variables supports the construct validity of the scale. Finally, sensitivity analysis revealed large effect sizes when comparing scores obtained by extreme BMI groups. Conclusions: This is the first study to report the application of the IWQOL-Lite to a sample of Spanish patients awaiting bariatric surgery and to confirm that the Spanish version of the instrument has adequate psychometric properties.