Minimum skills required by children to complete health-related quality of life instruments for asthma: comparison of measurement properties

To gain a complete picture of a child's health-status, measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQL) is necessary. Since parents do not accurately perceive children's HRQL, information must be obtained from the children themselves. The aim of this study was to determine the minimum age and reading skills required by children to complete competently the Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ), the Health Utilities Index (HUI), the Feeling Thermometer and the Standard Gamble, and to evaluate the validity of each for measuring HRQL in children with asthma. Fifty two children (age 7-17 yrs) with symptomatic asthma participated in a 9 week single cohort study with HRQL and clinical asthma control assessed every 4 weeks. All children provided very reliable data for the PAQLQ and the HUI but they needed > or = grade 6 reading skills to complete the Standard Gamble and > or = grade 2 skills for the Feeling Thermometer. In those children who were able to provide reliable data, the PAQLQ had the best discriminative and evaluative measurement properties, followed closely by the Feeling Thermometer. Measurement properties in the Standard Gamble were weaker and although the HUI was very reliable it was not actually measuring asthma-specific HRQL. The Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire may be used with confidence in clinical studies and practice to provide a profile of children's day-to-day experiences. In those children with adequate skills to complete the test reliably, the Feeling Thermometer provides a good estimate of the value that children place on their asthma health status.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. F. Juniper Validated questionnaires should not be modified Eur. Respir. J., November 1, 2009; 34(5): 1015 - 1017. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. White-Koning, C. Arnaud, H. O. Dickinson, U. Thyen, E. Beckung, J. Fauconnier, V. McManus, S. I. Michelsen, J. Parkes, K. Parkinson, et al. Determinants of Child-Parent Agreement in Quality-of-Life Reports: A European Study of Children With Cerebral Palsy Pediatrics, October 1, 2007; 120(4): e804 - e814. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. J. Mahadevia and F. J. Malinoski Cost-effectiveness of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prophylaxis With Palivizumab Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, May 1, 2007; 161(5): 519 - 520. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Olson, L. Radecki, M. P. Frintner, K. B. Weiss, J. Korfmacher, and R. M. Siegel At What Age Can Children Report Dependably on Their Asthma Health Status? Pediatrics, January 1, 2007; 119(1): e93 - e102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. O. ElHassan, M. E. S. Sorbero, C. B. Hall, T. P. Stevens, and A. W. Dick Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Palivizumab in Premature Infants Without Chronic Lung Disease. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, October 1, 2006; 160(10): 1070 - 1076. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Saigal, B. Stoskopf, J. Pinelli, D. Streiner, L. Hoult, N. Paneth, and J. Goddeeris Self-Perceived Health-Related Quality of Life of Former Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants at Young Adulthood Pediatrics, September 1, 2006; 118(3): 1140 - 1148. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. E. Bramlett, A. K. Bothe, and D. M. Franic Using preference-based measures to assess quality of life in stuttering. J Speech Lang Hear Res, April 1, 2006; 49(2): 381 - 394. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Follow-up Care of High-Risk Infants Pediatrics, November 1, 2004; 114(5/S1): 1377 - 1397. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K Reichenberg and A G Broberg Eotional and behavioural problems in Swedish 7-to 9-year olds with asthma Chronic Respiratory Disease, October 1, 2004; 1(4): 183 - 189. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. A. Prosser, G. T. Ray, M. O'Brien, K. Kleinman, J. Santoli, and T. A. Lieu Preferences and Willingness to Pay for Health States Prevented by Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Pediatrics, February 1, 2004; 113(2): 283 - 290. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. I. Brunner, D. Maker, B. Grundland, N. L. Young, V. Blanchette, A-M. Stain, and B. M. Feldman Preference-Based Measurement of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in Children with Chronic Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSKDs) Med Decis Making, July 1, 2003; 23(4): 314 - 322. [Abstract] [PDF]

				F. J. Zimmerman On the Standard Gamble Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, March 1, 2003; 157(3): 225 - 227. [Full Text] [PDF]

				E.F. Juniper, G.R. Norman, F.M. Cox, and J.N. Roberts Comparison of the standard gamble, rating scale, AQLQ and SF-36 for measuring quality of life in asthma Eur. Respir. J., July 1, 2001; 18(1): 38 - 44. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. M. Ronen, P. Rosenbaum, and D. L. Streiner Topical Review: Outcome Measures in Pediatric Neurology: Why Do We Need Them? J Child Neurol, December 1, 2000; 15(12): 775 - 780. [Abstract] [PDF]

				E. F. JUNIPER, P. M. O'BYRNE, P. J. FERRIE, D. R. KING, and J. N. ROBERTS Measuring Asthma Control . Clinic Questionnaire or Daily Diary? Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., October 1, 2000; 162(4): 1330 - 1334. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. F. Juniper, A. S. Buist, F. M. Cox, P. J. Ferrie, and D. R. King Validation of a Standardized Version of the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire Chest, May 1, 1999; 115(5): 1265 - 1270. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]