[Spanish version of the TNO-AZL preschool children quality of life questionnaire (TAPQOL)]

Quality of life in children with diseases causing central airway obstruction: Reliability and validity of the TAPQOL questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to analyse the psychometric performance (reliability and validity) of the TAPQOL questionnaire in measuring the global quality of life in children with central airway obstruction (CAO), which encompasses pathologies with a low prevalence that have a common anatomical or functional affectation.

METHOD

The study population consisted of 109 patients with CAO attended in a national reference airway unitafter signing informed consent. The TAPQOL questionnaire was used to measure the global quality of life and its psychometric characteristics were analysed. The reliability was determined using Cronbach's α statistic and the validity was determined by means of a principal component analysis.

RESULTS

The mean age was 4.8 years and there was no predominant sex. The most frequent diagnosis was laryngomalacia (24.5%), followed bysubglotticstenosis (20.2%). The lowest score in the TAPQOL questionnaire was obtained for the scales of anxiety (66.2 ± 23.7), respiratory (67.9 ± 29.6), and conduct 68.2 ± 21.4). The Cronbach's α was above 0.7 in the majority of the scales and the validity study by principal component analysis with a total variance of 76.7% fits the original 12-component model.

CONCLUSIONS

TAPQOL is a valid tool to measure the health-related quality of life in patients with CAO. Measuring it in these patients indicates which fields are most affected, highlighting therapeutic needs that have not been resolved but which can be approached in normal clinical practice.

Respiratory morbidity, atopy and asthma at school age in preterm infants aged 32-35 weeks

Little is known about respiratory morbidity and asthma risk in preterm infants (PTIs) with a gestational age (GA) over 32 weeks. This was a prospective study carried out from birth to 7-8 years, comparing two groups: (a) PTIs (GAs 32 weeks + 1 day to 35 weeks + 0 days, without comorbidities) and (b) full-term infants (FTIs; GA ≥ 37 weeks). Risk and protective factors for bronchiolitis and asthma were identified. A total of 232 children (116/group) were included. Sixty-six (56.9%) PTIs and 43 (37.1%) FTIs presented bronchiolitis (p = 0.002). Recurrent wheezing was 52 (44.8%) on PTIs versus 36 (31.0%) on FTIs (p = 0.03). Asthma at school aged was 27 (23.3%) on PTIs and 8 (6.9%) on FTIs (p = 0.020). Asthma risk factors were only detected in group A.Conclusion: PTIs had a higher prevalence of bronchiolitis, recurrent wheezing and asthma; risk factors for asthma are the following: older siblings, allergic father, atopic dermatitis and antibiotic treatment in the first 3 years of life and prematurity itself, which also acted as protective factor for atopic dermatitis. What is known: • In recent decades, there has been a significant increase in the birth of premature babies and consequently, also in the pathologies secondary to the prematurity: a greater number of complications and disorders related to the development and maturation of many organs and systems, especially the respiratory system. Several studies, especially in full-term infants and very preterm infants, have tried to elucidate the risk factors that may influence the development of persistent or chronic respiratory problems such asasthma, but little is known about the aetiology of these disorders in the late or moderate preterm infants. Inthis group of children, the role played by certain factors (early use of antibiotics, chorioamnionitis, smokeexposure, paternal asthma, etc.) on late respiratory morbidity, or asthma, is inconclusive. • Moderate-to-late preterm infants are more predisposed to developing recurrent wheezing/asthma and should adopt control measures. What is new: • Our work provides data related to little-understood aspects of respiratory diseases in this group of late or moderate preterm infants (gestational age between 32 weeks plus 1 day and 35 weeks plus 0 days), by monitoring their evolution from birth to 7-8 years of age, compared with another group of full-term newborns. We aimed to establish the prevalence of bronchiolitis and recurrent wheezing in these children during their first years of life. • The prevalence of school-aged asthma and the risk factors for contracting it were also investigated.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Malay language version of the TZO-AZL Preschool Children Quality of Life questionnaire: A health-related quality of life instrument for preschool children

The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated Malay language version of TZO-AZL Preschool Children Quality of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire in preschool children. Preterm children and term children aged between two and five years were enrolled into the study. The Malay language version of TAPQOL and a set of questions regarding the child's health status were answered by the caregivers. The internal consistency, Spearman's correlation coefficients and principal component analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation and Mann-Whitney U test for group comparison were employed to evaluate the psychometric properties of this instrument. A total of 258 children (120 preterm children and 138 term children) were recruited to this study with a response rate of 94%. All (sub)domains except one had Cronbach's α coefficients of more than .7. The Spearman's correlation coefficients between 12 subdomains were generally low. PCA supported the structural unidimensionality of the items in the instrument. Preterm children had lower quality of life scores than that of term children. Malay version of TAPQOL has multidimensional construct. It is a reliable and valid instrument for preschool children, with almost similar psychometric properties to the original version.

Long-Term Burden and Respiratory Effects of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalization in Preterm Infants-The SPRING Study

The health status of premature infants born 32¹-35⁰ weeks’ gestational age (wGA) hospitalized for RSV infection in the first year of life (cases; n = 125) was compared to that of premature infants not hospitalized for RSV (controls; n = 362) through 6 years. The primary endpoints were the percentage of children with wheezing between 2-6 years and lung function at 6 years of age. Secondary endpoints included quality of life, healthcare resource use, and allergic sensitization. A significantly higher proportion of cases than controls experienced recurrent wheezing through 6 years of age (46.7% vs. 27.4%; p = 0.001). The vast majority of lung function tests appeared normal at 6 years of age in both cohorts. In children with pulmonary function in the lower limit of normality (FEV₁ Z-score [-2; -1]), wheezing was increased, particularly for cases vs. controls (72.7% vs. 18.9%, p = 0.002). Multivariate analysis revealed the most important factor for wheezing was RSV hospitalization. Quality of life on the respiratory subscale of the TAPQOL was significantly lower (p = 0.001) and healthcare resource utilization was significantly higher (p<0.001) in cases than controls. This study confirms RSV disease is associated with wheezing in 32-35 wGA infants through 6 years of age.

Health-related quality of life measurement in children and adolescents in Ibero-American countries, 2000 to 2010

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the characteristics of instruments designed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children, developed or adapted from 2000 to 2010 in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Uruguay.

METHODS

The protocol-led literature review included database searching (e.g., Medline, ISI Science Citation Index) and manual searching to retrieve studies focused on measures of HRQOL, health status, or well-being addressed to children and adolescents. Country-specific filters were applied to identify studies carried out in the participating countries. The characteristics of the instruments and type of studies were analyzed. Descriptive characteristics and psychometric properties were analyzed following the guidelines of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine documents were included. Thirty-one questionnaires were identified, 24 instruments were adapted, and the psychometric properties of 20 HRQOL instruments were reported in the study period. There was substantial variability in the number and characteristics of the dimensions included. Reliability was generally acceptable, and the majority of instruments provided data on internal consistency (n = 18) and, to a lesser extent, on test-retest reliability (n = 12). Nearly all studies reported construct validity, but only four analyzed sensitivity to change.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a scarcity of instruments to measure HRQOL of children and adolescents in the countries analyzed. Certain psychometric characteristics have been reasonably well tested, but others, most notably sensitivity to change, have not been tested in most instruments. Extension of this study to other Latin American countries would help to further identify gaps in this area and promote the use of HRQOL measurement in children and adolescents in Spanish-speaking cultures.

Reliability and validity of the Spanish version of the TAPQOL: a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instrument for 1- to 5-year-old children

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the reliability, and construct validity of the Spanish version of the TNO-AZL preschool children quality of life (TAPQOL).

METHODS

A consecutive sample of children (3 months to 5 years old) was recruited from primary care centers and two teaching hospitals in Spain. The TAPQOL and a set of questions related to their child's health status were administered to parents. Clinical diagnoses were collected from clinical records. Principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was used to analyze the instrument's structure. Effect size (ES) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze differences between subgroups known to be in poor health compared to the healthy subgroup.

RESULTS

A total of 228 children participated in the study (response rate=95%). Ten of the 12 scales showed more than 30% ceiling effect. All dimensions except one had Cronbach's alpha coefficients greater than 0.7. PCA explained 75% of the variance. Healthy children in general had better scores than the other subgroups. Children at risk of poor health outcomes and those with respiratory problems scored lower in several scales than the healthy subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the Spanish TAPQOL shows a non-negligible ceiling effect, it seems to be a reliable and valid instrument for Spanish infants and toddlers, and with similar psychometric characteristics to the original version. Future studies should try to improve questionnaire's structure and assess its sensitivity to change.