Asthma Control Questionnaire in children: validation, measurement properties, interpretation

E F Juniper1, K Gruffydd-Jones, S Ward

  • 1Dept of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. juniper@qoltech.co.uk

Insights

The Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is valid and reliable for assessing asthma control in children aged 6-16 years. This tool effectively measures symptom reduction and improves asthma management in pediatric patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Clinical Assessment Tools
  • Asthma Management

Background:

  • The Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) is validated for adults.
  • Pediatric asthma management requires reliable assessment tools.
  • Current tools may not fully capture pediatric asthma control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the validity, measurement properties, and interpretability of the ACQ in children aged 6-16 years.
  • To establish the ACQ's reliability and responsiveness to changes in asthma control.
  • To determine the Minimal Important Difference (MID) for the ACQ in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • 35 children (6-16 years) completed ACQ, Mini-PAQLQ, RCP 'Three Questions' at 0, 1, and 4 weeks.
  • Parents completed P-AQLQ; children used Asthma Control Diary and PEF measurements.
  • Clinicians and parents used Global Rating of Change Questionnaires; test-retest reliability assessed in 19 stable children.

Main Results:

  • ACQ demonstrated good test-retest reliability (ICC 0.79) in stable children.
  • ACQ was responsive to changes in asthma control (p=0.026) with a mean MID of 0.52 ± 0.45.
  • Correlations between ACQ and other outcomes supported its validity for measuring pediatric asthma control.

Conclusions:

  • The Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) exhibits strong measurement properties and is valid for children aged 6-16 years.
  • The ACQ is a reliable and responsive tool for assessing pediatric asthma control.
  • Trained interviewers are recommended for ACQ administration in children aged 6-10 years.

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