PedsQL relates to function and behavior in very low and normal birth weight 2- and 3-year-olds from a regional cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To compare PedsQL scores in young children who were very low (< or =1,500 g) or normal birth weight (>2,500 g) and to examine the relationship of the PedsQL score to behavioral and functional scores.


METHODS
The PedsQL, Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist and the PEDI functional scales were telephone administered to parents of a regional cohort of 672 very low birth weight and 455 normal birth weight children, 2- and 3-years old. PedsQL scales were regressed on behavior, function and health conditions.


RESULTS
Mean (SD) overall PedsQL score was 91 (8.4) for normal birth weight and 87 (12) for very low birth weight children, and changed little when standardized to the race/ethnicity and maternal education of corresponding Wisconsin births. Mobility function and the CBCL explained 58% of the variance in PedsQL, but the relationship was curvilinear.


CONCLUSIONS
The PedsQL is sensitive to health problems of very low birth weight in young children. The PedsQL is quite strongly related to mobility and behavior problems, but scales these differently than do standard instruments. Parents either do not think of subtle issues with child function and behavior without specific prompting or do not perceive them as problems affecting quality of life.
Palta
Mari
M
Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 Walnut Street, Madison, WI 53726, USA. mpalta@wisc.edu
Sadek-Badawi
Mona
M
D000328:Adult; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life