Development of a reliable and valid Chinese version of the diabetes empowerment scale

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—To translate the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (DES) into Chinese and establish its psychometric properties among Hong Kong Chinese people. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A two-stage study design, incorporating qualitative and quantitative components, determined the cultural equivalency and content validity of the translated scale and established the psychometric properties of the Chinese DES (C-DES) in 207 patients. RESULTS—Psychometric analysis supported the reliability and validity of the 20-item Chinese DES (C-DES-20) and five subscales: overcoming barriers (α = 0.89), determining suitable methods (α = 0.79), achieving goals (α = 0.78), obtaining support (α = 0.78), and coping (α = 0.76). The test-retest reliability of the intraclass correlations was satifactory when a subsample of 20 patients was tested after a 2-week interval. There was criterion validity between the global scale and metabolic control (HbA1c) of respondents with type 2 diabetes (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS—The C-DES-20 is a reliable and valid outcome measure for patient education and psychosocial interventions among Hong Kong Chinese people with diabetes.