Construct validity and responsiveness of the Child Health Questionnaire in children with acute asthma

Marc H. Gorelick, Philip V. Scribano, Molly W. Stevens, Theresa R. Schultz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To examine the validity and responsiveness of the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF28) in the context of acute exacerbation of asthma in children. Design and Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of children age 5 years and older treated for acute asthma at two urban pediatric emergency departments (EDs). At 14 days after the visit, all patients were contacted by telephone and the CHQ-PF28 (modified to have a 2-week recall period) was administered. Poor 14-day outcome was defined as one or more of the following: child or parent missed at least 5 days of school/day care/work; child still having asthma symptoms above baseline at 14 days; or unscheduled care within 7 days after the ED visit. Results: A total of 732 subjects (median age, 9 years) were enrolled; 622 (85%) had successful follow-up at day 14. At the 14-day follow-up, 254 (43%) were classified as having a poor outcome. The mean physical subscale score of the CHQ-PF28 was 48.2 among those with a good outcome, vs 35.9 among the poor outcome group (difference = 12.3; 95% confidence interval, 10.2 to 14.3). For the psychosocial subscale the average difference between groups was 6.9 (95% confidence interval, 5.1 to 8.7). Among the 146 patients at one site who also had a CHQ score obtained at the initial visit, there was a significant improvement in mean physical subscale score among those with good, but not poor, outcome. However, the relative responsiveness was moderate, with an effect size of only 0.37. Conclusions: Both the physical and psychosocial subscales of the CHQ-PF28 administered 14 days after an ED visit for acute exacerbation of asthma are correlated with poor short-term functional outcome, but scores are only moderately responsive to acute changes in functional status.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)622-628
Number of pages7
JournalAnnals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Volume90
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

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