Assessing health-related quality of life in Japanese children with a chronic condition: validation of the DISABKIDS chronic generic module

Identifying candidate items for a health-related quality of life measure in young children with respiratory illness: A scoping review of generic and disease-specific measures

BACKGROUND

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young children affected by respiratory illnesses remains understudied, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of these diseases is disproportionately high. Existing HRQoL measures, including both generic and respiratory disease-specific measures, have been reviewed to identify key components that can guide the development of a novel HRQoL tool for young children (0-5-years) with respiratory illnesses. The study aimed to identify candidate items from existing HRQoL measures to inform the development of a new HRQoL tool for young children (0-5 years-old) with respiratory illnesses in a LMIC setting.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, EBSCOhost, and PsycArticles databases Keywords included variations of the following terms 'quality of life', 'health-related quality of life', 'wellbeing', 'questionnaire', 'instrument', 'measure', 'children', 'toddler', 'paediatric', 'child*', 'develop' or 'validation'. The search was limited to English-language articles published between January 2000 and November 2023. Deductive thematic analysis was used to organise the measures and synthesise cross-cutting components.

RESULTS

Out of 1823 articles, data were extracted from 72 articles reporting on 41 measures. Of these, 20 were generic, and 21 were specific to respiratory diseases. The measures' key dimensions included physical and emotional health, social support, and school functioning. However, few measures, targeted children 0-5-years, and none incorporated child-specific methods for assessing HRQoL. Existing tools varied widely in their domains and definitions, often lacking consistency and not adequately considering the developmental milestones. Furthermore, most tools were developed in high-income settings (HIC), with limited adaption to the socio-economic burden and disease burden contexts in LMICs.

CONCLUSION

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive HRQoL measure tailored to young children with respiratory illnesses, particularly one designed for use in LMICs. Such a tool should address developmental milestones, cultural sensitivity, and the unique socio-economic challenges faced in these settings.

Assessing health-related quality of life in Chinese children and adolescents with cancer: validation of the DISABKIDS chronic generic module (DCGM-37)

Background

With increasing cancer incidence and decreasing cancer mortality, there is a growing need for a valid and culturally adapted tool to measure health-related quality of life in children with cancer. This study validated the DISABKIDS Chronic Generic Module (DCGM-37) in Chinese children and adolescents with cancer.

Methods

The DCGM-37 was translated and adapted for use in China following the guidelines from its copyright holders. In total, 140 children and adolescents with cancer and their guardians were included in this cross-sectional study. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Convergent validity was examined using Pearson correlation between the DCGM-37 and the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scale. Dimensionality was clarified using exploratory factor analysis. Discriminant validity was evaluated by comparing DCGM-37 scores by sex, age, family income, and clinical characteristics.

Results

Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.91) and test–retest reliability were good (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.87, 95% confidence interval 0.73–0.94). Strong correlations between the DCGM-37 and the PedsQL 4.0 (r = 0.83) suggest good convergent validity. Six factors explained 51.94% of the total variance. Children with leukemia scored higher than those with sarcoma in all subscales (effect size ranged from 0.39 to 0.83), especially the “social exclusion” subscales (effect size 0.83). Small to moderate differences (effect size ranged from 0.38 to 0.58) were observed by sex, age, and family income. Neither floor nor ceiling effects were observed.

Conclusion

The DCGM-37 is reliable and valid for measuring health-related quality of life in Chinese children and adolescents with cancer.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-07910-9.