© 2004 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research
Validation of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) Scale for Measuring the Health-related Quality of Life in Korean Women with Breast Cancer
1 Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Ajou University, 2 Department of Radiation Oncology, Ajou University Hospital and 3 College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Suwon, Korea
Background: The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scale, which was developed and validated in the USA, is widely used to measure the health-related quality of life in cancer patients. The purpose of the present study was to empirically validate the FACT-G scale with Korean breast cancer patients.
Methods: A convenience sample of 193 women with breast cancer was recruited from a university hospital. The subjects were asked to complete the Korean version of the FACT-G scale. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation to determine factor construct validity. The loading criterion was set at 0.40 and above, inter-subscale correlations were computed using Pearson correlation, and the reliability of the internal consistency for the total scale and its subscales were assessed by Cronbachs alpha.
Results: The factor structure of the Korean version of the FACT-G scale paralleled that of the English version: the physical, social/family, emotional, and functional well-being subscales were constructively valid in Korean breast cancer patients. However, there is the possibility of culture-specific differences in the social/family well-being subscale, and some problematic translations were revealed. Cronbachs alpha for the total scale was 0.89 and that for the subscales ranged from 0.78 to 0.90.
Conclusion: The Korean version of the FACT-G scale was demonstrated as reliable and valid. Therefore, the scale can be used in research and clinical settings to assess the quality of life of Korean breast cancer patients.
+ For reprints and all correspondence: Eun-Hyun Lee, Ajou University, School of Medicine, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, San 5, Wonchon-Dong, Yeongton-Gu, Suwon 443-721, Korea. E-mail: ehlee{at}ajou.ac.kr