Background: The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is a widely used instrument to assess the health-related quality of life associated with skin conditions. Afan Oromo is spoken by 40% of Ethiopians. Objectives This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt and validate the DLQI in Afan Oromo.
Methods: This study was nested in a large hospital-based cohort study of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Forward-backward translation followed by content validity, responsiveness to change, known group comparison, and convergent and discriminant validity were done. Internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were assessed using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively.
Results: The DLQI showed acceptable content validity with modified kappa between 0.8 and 1.0. One hundred individuals with confirmed active CL with a mean (SD) age of 36.81 (17.46) years, were interviewed using the translated draft of the Afan Oromo DLQI. The DLQI mean (SD) score was 11.93 (7.32). The instrument showed excellent internal consistency with a Cronbach alpha of 0.87 and inter-rater reliability ICC of 0.96. The median DLQI scores were significantly different between those with different physicians determined severity (P = 0.01) and lesion size (P = 0.004). There was high convergent validity (0.74-0.93). DLQI scores on day 90 were significantly lower than scores at enrolment prior to treatment (P = 0.0001).
Conclusions: This translation of the DLQI to Afan Oromo is a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome measure instrument for research or clinical practice.
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.