APPLICABILITY OF A GENERIC QUESTIONNAIRE FOR QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSMENT FOR ASTHMATIC CHILDREN

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Health Outcomes Research
• Quality of Life Assessment

Background:

• Asthma significantly impacts children's quality of life.
• Accurate assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is crucial for managing pediatric asthma.
• Generic versus disease-specific instruments present different strengths in capturing HRQoL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the utility of the generic Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL 4.0) with the disease-specific Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ).
• To evaluate the instruments' ability to differentiate HRQoL in asthmatic children based on clinical factors.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 30 children (7-11 years) with asthma diagnosed for at least six months.
• Interviewer-administered PedsQL 4.0 and PAQLQ questionnaires over a single day.
• Data analyzed using SPSS 20.0 with a 5% significance level.

Main Results:

• No significant gender-based differences in HRQoL were observed.
• PedsQL 4.0 distinguished HRQoL based on physical activity levels.
• PAQLQ showed significant differences in HRQoL related to asthma severity and control, while PedsQL 4.0 did not.
• A moderate, significant correlation (r=0.415, p=0.02) was found between PedsQL 4.0 and PAQLQ scores.

Conclusions:

• The PedsQL 4.0 is useful for identifying differences in physical activity in asthmatic children.
• The PedsQL 4.0 lacks the sensitivity of the PAQLQ to differentiate HRQoL based on asthma severity and control.
• PAQLQ is a more suitable instrument for assessing nuanced HRQoL changes related to asthma control and severity in children.