Health-related quality of life in a Norwegian sample of healthy adolescents: some psychometric properties of CHQ-CF87-N in relation to KINDL-N.
OBJECTIVE
As part of a large investigation of Norwegian adolescents, with an overall aim of developing methods to promote health-related quality of life (HRQOL), an adequate generic measure of HRQOL was needed. Hence the purpose of the study was to compare some of the psychometric qualities of the CHQ-CF87-N and KINDL-N in a sample of healthy adolescents and to discuss the feasibility of the 2 instruments in research and clinical settings.


METHODS
Two hundred twenty-nine healthy adolescents completed the questionnaires. The internal consistency reliability and the distributional properties of the CHQ-N and KINDL-N were compared. Factor analysis was performed for the CHQ-N scales separately, as well as for the CHQ-N and KINDL-N scales combined.


RESULTS
The reliability of the scales of the CHQ-N was satisfactory, and generally was better for the CHQ-N scales than for the KINDL-N scales. The distributional properties of the KINDL-N scales were on average better than the CHQ-N scales. Factor analysis of the CHQ-N scales resulted in 3 interpretable factors, while analysis of the CHQ-N and KINDL-N scales combined comprised 4 interpretable factors. A 1-factor solution was in both cases interpreted as a general health-related quality of life factor.


CONCLUSIONS
The CHQ-N and KINDL-N may be regarded as adequate instruments to measure HRQOL in healthy adolescents, but to some extent they cover different dimensions of health and quality of life. The KINDL-N focuses on the psychosocial aspects, while CHQ-N covers more dimensions and has stronger focus on the physical aspects. Thus the instruments have different applications in both research and clinical settings.
Oslo University College, Faculty of Nursing, Oslo, Norway. solvi.helseth@su.hio.no
Sølvi
S
Helseth
Thorleif
T
Lund
Knut-Andreas
KA
Christophersen
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway / Q000208:ethnology; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires