Abstract

Respiratory questionnaires, such as St George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), are used to assess the non�respiratory effects of COPD and other respiratory illnesses.
The SGRQ has been validated in more than 60 languages and has been widely used for quality-of-life assessment.
However, several studies have identified that the SGRQ is too lengthy for easy use within a clinical setting and is often
challenging to complete in low-literacy environments, including in many developing countries.
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to extract questions from SGRQ and develop a simple questionnaire
to be used in areas where SGRQ is relatively new. Modify the reporting period, and assess the validity, and reliability
of this modified version in a population of COPD and asthma patients in Abuja Nigeria.
Method: The questions were extracted from SGRQ and reviewed by the supervisory team and the pulmonologists.
Participants are registered COPD and asthma patients registered in the two hospitals used for the study who were
from an existing cohort used to study the effect of O3, PM10, and NOx on respiratory health in Abuja, Nigeria. Focus
groups and interviews were conducted to explore the perceptions of patients and clinicians on the original and modified
questionnaires using qualitative methods (thematic analysis).
Result: The modified version showed good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and responsiveness was
shown by significant changes in responses to the questions. In the participants’ opinion, the modified questionnaire can
be successfully used as a respiratory questionnaire for adult COPD and asthma patients in Nigeria.
Conclusion: This modified SGRQ is a reliable, valid, and responsive instrument for the evaluation of respiratory
patients in countries where SGRQ is relatively new such as Nigeria. We observed that the modified questionnaire
is equivalent to other versions and can be used in countries where health-related questionnaire such as SGRQ is
relatively new and or low literacy/developing countries.