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Published on: June 20, 2020

The PedsQL 4.0 as a pediatric population health measure: feasibility, reliability, and validity

James W Varni1, Tasha M Burwinkle, Michael Seid

  • 1Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Architecture and the Department of Pediatrics, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. jvarni@archone.tamu.edu

Ambulatory Pediatrics : the Official Journal of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association
|November 18, 2003
PubMed

Insights

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 is a feasible, reliable, and valid tool for measuring pediatric population health. This measure can effectively assess health outcomes for children in health insurance programs.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health Outcomes
  • Health Services Research
  • Quality of Life Measurement

Background:

  • Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is crucial for pediatric population health assessment.
  • HRQOL measures aid in risk stratification, resource allocation, and identifying health disparities.
  • Tracking community health and intervention outcomes relies on robust HRQOL data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales.
  • To determine the suitability of PedsQL 4.0 for measuring pediatric population health in children and adolescents.
  • To evaluate PedsQL 4.0's utility for children enrolled in the State's Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

Main Methods:

  • A statewide mail survey was conducted in California in February-March 2001.
  • The survey targeted 20,031 families with children aged 2-16 years, including new SCHIP enrollees.
  • The 23-item PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were completed by 10,241 families.

Main Results:

  • The PedsQL 4.0 demonstrated minimal missing responses and excellent reliability (child alpha=.89, parent alpha=.92).
  • The instrument effectively differentiated between healthy children and those with chronic health conditions.
  • PedsQL 4.0 scores correlated with healthcare access, school absenteeism, and illness-related days missed.

Conclusions:

  • The PedsQL 4.0 is a feasible, reliable, and valid measure for pediatric population health outcomes.
  • Measuring pediatric HRQOL using PedsQL 4.0 can effectively evaluate the health outcomes of SCHIP enrollees.
  • The findings support the use of PedsQL 4.0 for population health surveillance and program evaluation in pediatric populations.
Abstract

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