PROMs; SarQoL; meta‐analysis; psychometric properties; quality of life; sarcopenia; Humans; Surveys and Questionnaires; Reproducibility of Results; Aged; Psychometrics/methods; Quality of Life; Sarcopenia/psychology; Sarcopenia/diagnosis
Abstract :
[en] [en] BACKGROUND: The Sarcopenia and Quality of Life (SarQoL) questionnaire is recognized as the only disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for assessing sarcopenia-related HRQoL. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide a quantitative summary of all evidence reported on the reliability, validity, responsiveness and floor/ceiling effects of SarQoL in older adults.
METHODS: Following PRISMA-COSMIN guidelines, a systematic search for studies evaluating the psychometric properties of SarQoL (i.e., reliability, validity, responsiveness and floor and ceiling effects) in older people was conducted on MEDLINE (via OVID), PsycINFO, Scopus and EMBASE. Studies published between 2013 and November 2024 using a consensual definition of sarcopenia were included. Study selection and data extraction were made by two independent reviewers. A random-effects model meta-analysis was applied. PROSPERO registration: CRD42024546880.
RESULTS: From 411 studies identified by the search strategy, 25 fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including 4585 community-dwelling individuals, of which 1311 were diagnosed as sarcopenic. SarQoL demonstrated high reliability (pooled Cronbach's alpha values consistently exceeding 0.80) and excellent test-retest reliability (pooled ICC = 0.98). Construct validity was confirmed with strong convergent correlations (pooled r > 0.54) with related dimensions of generic SF-36 and EQ-5D and weaker divergent correlations (pooled r < 0.47). Responsiveness, evaluated in two studies using different methodologies, supported the ability of SarQoL to detect meaningful changes in HRQoL. The certainty of evidence was rated as high for reliability, validity and responsiveness.
CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis consolidates a decade of evidence and confirms the strong psychometric properties of SarQoL, with a high level of evidence.
Disciplines :
Public health, health care sciences & services
Author, co-author :
Demonceau, Céline ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unité de recherche Santé publique, épidémiologie et économie de la santé (URSAPES)
Christian, Brabant; Research Unit in Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
Emmanuel, Shukuru; Public Health Aging Research & Epidemiology (PHARE)Group, Research Unit in Clinical Pharmacologyand Toxicology (URPC), Department of Biomedical Sciences‑Faculty of Medicine, NAmur Research Institute for LIfeSciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
Alokail, Majed ; Protein Research Chair, Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Al-Daghri, Nasser ; Protein Research Chair, Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Rolland, Yves ; IHU HealthAge, Gérontopôle de Toulouse, Institut du Vieillissement, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Bautmans, Ivan ; Gerontology Department and Frailty in Ageing Research Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Bauer, Jürgen M; Center for Geriatric Medicine and Network Aging Research (NAR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
Cherubini, Antonio ; Geriatria, Accettazione Geriatrica e Centro di Ricerca per l'Invecchiamento, IRCCS INRCA, Ancona, Italy ; Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
Cruz-Jentoft, Alfonso J; Servicio de Geriatría, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
Dawson-Hughes, Bess ; Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Fielding, Roger A ; Nutrition, Exercise Physiology and Sarcopenia Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Centeron Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Harvey, Nicholas C ; MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK ; NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Visser, Marjolein ; Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Duque, Gustavo; Bone, Muscle & Geroscience Group, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada ; Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Rizzoli, René ; Service of Bone Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
Reginster, Jean-Yves ; Protein Research Chair, Biochemistry Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Bruyère, Olivier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences de la santé publique > Santé publique, Epidémiologie et Economie de la santé
Beaudart, Charlotte ; Public Health Aging Research & Epidemiology (PHARE)Group, Research Unit in Clinical Pharmacologyand Toxicology (URPC), Department of Biomedical Sciences‑Faculty of Medicine, NAmur Research Institute for LIfeSciences (NARILIS), University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
A. J. Cruz-Jentoft, G. Bahat, J. Bauer, et al., “Sarcopenia: Revised European Consensus on Definition and Diagnosis,” Age and Ageing 48, no. 1 (2019): 16–31.
S. Yuan and S. C. Larsson, “Epidemiology of Sarcopenia: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Consequences,” Metabolism 144 (2023): 155533.
C. Beaudart, C. Demonceau, J. Y. Reginster, et al., “Sarcopenia and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle 14, no. 3 (2023): 1228–1243.
C. Beaudart, J. Alcazar, I. Aprahamian, et al., “Health Outcomes of Sarcopenia: A Consensus Report by the Outcome Working Group of the Global Leadership Initiative in Sarcopenia (GLIS),” Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 37, no. 1 (2025): 100.
World Health Organization, Programme on Mental Health: WHOQOL User Manual, 2012 Revision (World Health Organization, 2012), 106.
A. E. Bonomi, D. L. Patrick, D. M. Bushnell, and M. Martin, “Validation of the United States' Version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Instrument,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 53, no. 1 (2000): 1–12.
K. Churruca, C. Pomare, L. A. Ellis, et al., “Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs): A Review of Generic and Condition-Specific Measures and a Discussion of Trends and Issues,” Health Expectations 24, no. 4 (2021): 1015–1024.
C. Beaudart, E. Biver, J. Y. Reginster, et al., “Development of a Self-Administrated Quality of Life Questionnaire for Sarcopenia in Elderly Subjects: The SarQoL,” Age and Ageing 44, no. 6 (2015): 960–966.
C. Beaudart, E. Biver, J. Y. Reginster, et al., “Validation of the SarQoL(R), a Specific Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Sarcopenia,” Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle 8, no. 2 (2017): 238–244.
C. A. C. Prinsen, L. B. Mokkink, L. M. Bouter, et al., “COSMIN Guideline for Systematic Reviews of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures,” Quality of Life Research 27, no. 5 (2018): 1147–1157.
M. V. Martinez-Fernandez, I. Sandoval-Hernandez, A. Galan-Mercant, M. Gonzalez-Sanchez, J. Martinez-Cal, and G. Molina-Torres, “Analysis of Structural Characteristics and Psychometric Properties of the SarQoL(R) Questionnaire in Different Languages: A Systematic Review,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 8 (2022): 4561.
C. Demonceau, B. Voz, O. Bruyère, J. Y. Reginster, and C. Beaudart, “Content Validity of SarQoL, a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific to Sarcopenia,” Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 36, no. 1 (2024): 101.
E. B. M. Elsman, L. B. Mokkink, C. B. Terwee, et al., “Guideline for Reporting Systematic Reviews of Outcome Measurement Instruments (OMIs): PRISMA-COSMIN for OMIs 2024,” Quality of Life Research 33, no. 8 (2024): 2029–2046.
Veritas Health Innovation, “Covidence Systematic Review Software,” Veritas Health Innovation, www.covidence.org.
L. B. Mokkink, C. B. Terwee, D. L. Patrick, et al., “The COSMIN Study Reached International Consensus on Taxonomy, Terminology, and Definitions of Measurement Properties for Health-Related Patient-Reported Outcomes,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 63, no. 7 (2010): 737–745.
P. E. Shrout and J. L. Fleiss, “Intraclass Correlations: Uses in Assessing Rater Reliability,” Psychological Bulletin 86, no. 2 (1979): 420–428.
R. A. Deyo, P. Diehr, and D. L. Patrick, “Reproducibility and Responsiveness of Health Status Measures. Statistics and Strategies for Evaluation,” Controlled Clinical Trials 12, no. 4 Suppl (1991): 142S–158S.
C. B. Terwee, S. D. Bot, M. R. de Boer, et al., “Quality Criteria Were Proposed for Measurement Properties of Health Status Questionnaires,” Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 60, no. 1 (2007): 34–42.
H. E. Syddall, H. J. Martin, R. H. Harwood, C. Cooper, and A. Aihie Sayer, “The SF-36: A Simple, Effective Measure of Mobility-Disability for Epidemiological Studies,” Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging 13, no. 1 (2009): 57–62.
R. Rabin and F. de Charro, “EQ-5D: A Measure of Health Status From the EuroQol Group,” Annals of Medicine 33, no. 5 (2001): 337–343.
C. B. Terwee, C. A. C. Prinsen, A. Chiarotto, et al., “COSMIN Methodology for Evaluating the Content Validity of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures: A Delphi Study,” Quality of Life Research 27, no. 5 (2018): 1159–1170.
C. B. Terwee, F. W. Dekker, W. M. Wiersinga, M. F. Prummel, and P. M. Bossuyt, “On Assessing Responsiveness of Health-Related Quality of Life Instruments: Guidelines for Instrument Evaluation,” Quality of Life Research 12, no. 4 (2003): 349–362.
L. B. Mokkink, E. B. M. Elsman, and C. B. Terwee, “COSMIN Guideline for Systematic Reviews of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures Version 2.0,” Quality of Life Research 33, no. 11 (2024): 2929–2939.
H. Wickham, J. Bryan, W. Chang, et al., “Welcome to the Tidyverse,” Journal of Open Source Software 4, no. 43 (2019): 1686.
S. Balduzzi, G. Rücker, and G. Schwarzer, “How to Perform a Meta-Analysis With R: A Practical Tutorial,” Evidence-Based Mental Health 22 (2019): 153–160.
J. P. Higgins and S. G. Thompson, “Quantifying Heterogeneity in a Meta-Analysis,” Statistics in Medicine 21, no. 11 (2002): 1539–1558.
W. Viechtbauer and M. W. Cheung, “Outlier and Influence Diagnostics for Meta-Analysis,” Research Synthesis Methods 1, no. 2 (2010): 112–125.
M. Egger, G. D. Smith, M. Schneider, and C. Minder, “Bias in Meta-Analysis Detected by a Simple, Graphical Test,” BMJ 315, no. 7109 (1997): 629–634.
S. Duval and R. Tweedie, “Trim and Fill: A Simple Funnel-Plot-Based Method of Testing and Adjusting for Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis,” Biometrics 56, no. 2 (2000): 455–463.
M. Tsekoura, E. Billis, J. Gliatis, et al., “Cross Cultural Adaptation of the Greek Sarcopenia Quality of Life (SarQoL) Questionnaire,” Disability and Rehabilitation 42, no. 7 (2020): 1006–1012.
R. Yu, D. Lai, G. Leung, et al., “Translation, Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Cantonese Version of SarQoL in Hong Kong's Older Population: An Interviewer-Administered Questionnaire for Assessing Sarcopenia-Specific Quality of Life in Fieldwork Practice,” Clinical Interventions in Aging 18 (2023): 1851–1861.
V. Alekna, J. Kilaite, M. Tamulaitiene, et al., “Validation of the Lithuanian Version of Sarcopenia-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (SarQoL((R))),” European Geriatric Medicine 10, no. 5 (2019): 761–767.
C. Beaudart, M. Edwards, C. Moss, et al., “English Translation and Validation of the SarQoL(R), a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific for Sarcopenia,” Age and Ageing 46, no. 2 (2017): 271–276.
A. Ariane, W. Laksmi Purwita, S. Setiati, et al., “Validity and Reliability of Sarcopenia Quality of Life Indonesia Questionnaire in Sarcopenic Patients,” Rheumatology & Autoimmunity 4, no. 1 (2024): 47–56.
F. S. Orlandi, J. D. Nunes, D. Santos, A. C. M. Gratao, and M. S. Zazzetta, “Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of Sarcopenia and Quality of Life (SarQoL) in Brazil,” São Paulo Medical Journal 141, no. 1 (2023): 30–35.
J. I. Yoo, Y. C. Ha, M. Kim, et al., “Translation and Validation of the Korean Version of the Sarcopenia Quality of Life (SarQoL-K(R)) Questionnaire and Applicability With the SARC-F Screening Tool,” Quality of Life Research 30, no. 2 (2021): 603–611.
T. Erdogan, S. Eris, S. Avci, et al., “Sarcopenia Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (SarQoL)(R): Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation in Turkish,” Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 33, no. 11 (2021): 2979–2988.
R. Fabrega-Cuadros, A. Martinez-Amat, D. Cruz-Diaz, A. Aibar-Almazan, and F. Hita-Contreras, “Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Sarcopenia and Quality of Life, a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific for Sarcopenia,” Calcified Tissue International 106, no. 3 (2020): 274–282.
S. Martini, C. Held, S. Schluessel, et al., “Validation of the German Version of the SarQoL((R)) Questionnaire in Sarcopenic and Probable Sarcopenic Patients,” Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 36, no. 1 (2024): 217.
A. Geerinck, A. Scheppers, C. Beaudart, et al., “Translation and Validation of the Dutch SarQoL((R)), a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific to Sarcopenia,” Journal of Musculoskeletal & Neuronal Interactions 18, no. 4 (2018): 463–472.
A. Geerinck, M. B. Demian, C. Beaudart, and A. I. Gasparik, “Validation of the Hungarian Version of the SarQoL(R) Questionnaire and Its Association With the SARC-F Screening Tool,” Journal of Frailty & Aging 11, no. 3 (2022): 267–273.
J. Konstantynowicz, P. Abramowicz, W. Glinkowski, et al., “Polish Validation of the SarQoL((R)), a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific to Sarcopenia,” Journal of Clinical Medicine 7, no. 10 (2018): 323.
M. D. Witham, P. Heslop, R. M. Dodds, et al., “Performance of the SarQoL Quality of Life Tool in a UK Population of Older People With Probable Sarcopenia and Implications for Use in Clinical Trials: Findings From the SarcNet Registry,” BMC Geriatrics 22, no. 1 (2022): 368.
A. Geerinck, V. Alekna, C. Beaudart, et al., “Standard Error of Measurement and Smallest Detectable Change of the Sarcopenia Quality of Life (SarQoL) Questionnaire: An Analysis of Subjects From 9 Validation Studies,” PLoS ONE 14, no. 4 (2019): e0216065.
X. Le, Y. Wei, D. Hao, et al., “Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Sarcopenia and Quality of Life, a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific for Sarcopenia,” Calcified Tissue International 109, no. 4 (2021): 415–422.
S. C. Lee, C. F. Chang, J. Y. Wang, and P. J. Liang, “Translation and Validation of the Taiwanese SarQoL, a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific to Sarcopenia,” Journal of the Formosan Medical Association 122, no. 3 (2023): 249–257.
M. Mahmoodi, N. Hejazi, Z. Bagheri, et al., “Validation of the Persian Version of the Sarcopenia-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (SarQoL((R))-IR),” Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 35, no. 1 (2023): 137–145.
O. H. R. Matijević, A. Đurđević, A. Geerinck, et al., “Translation and Psychometric Performance of the Serbian Version of the Sarcopenia Quality of Life (SarQoL) Questionnaire,” Srpski Arhiv za Celokupno Lekarstvo 148, no. 11–12 (2020): 7.
B. Montero-Errasquin, N. Vaquero-Pinto, V. Sanchez-Cadenas, et al., “Spanish Translation, Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the SarQoL(R): A Specific Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Sarcopenia,” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 23, no. 1 (2022): 191.
A. I. Gasparik, G. Mihai, C. Beaudart, et al., “Psychometric Performance of the Romanian Version of the SarQoL(R), A Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Sarcopenia,” Archives of Osteoporosis 12, no. 1 (2017): 103.
P. Kumar, S. Umakanth, and N. Girish, “Psychometric Performance of the Kannada Version of Sarcopenia Quality of Life Questionnaire (SarQoL((R))),” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 24, no. 1 (2023): 445.
C. Demonceau, B. Voz, O. Bruyere, J. Y. Reginster, and C. Beaudart, “Content Validity of SarQoL, a Quality of Life Questionnaire Specific to Sarcopenia,” Aging Clinical and Experimental Research 36, no. 1 (2024): 101.
P. Kumar, S. Umakanth, and N. Girish, “Psychometric Performance of the Kannada Version of Sarcopenia Quality of Life Questionnaire (SarQoL()),” BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 24, no. 1 (2023): 445.
A. Geerinck, O. Bruyere, M. Locquet, J. Y. Reginster, and C. Beaudart, “Evaluation of the Responsiveness of the SarQoL((R)) Questionnaire, a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure Specific to Sarcopenia,” Advances in Therapy 35, no. 11 (2018): 1842–1858.
GRADE Working Group, The GRADE Book (GRADE Working Group, 2024).
R. Fábrega-Cuadros, F. Hita-Contreras, A. Martínez-Amat, et al., “Associations Between the Severity of Sarcopenia and Health-Related Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 15 (2021): 8026.
J. Chen, X. Wang, and Z. Xu, “Sarcopenia and Chronic Pain in the Elderly: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Pain Research 16 (2023): 3569–3581.
P. T. von Hippel, “The Heterogeneity Statistic I(2) Can Be Biased in Small Meta-Analyses,” BMC Medical Research Methodology 15 (2015): 35.