title: The PedsQL™ Infant Scales: feasibility, internal consistency reliability, and validity in healthy and ill infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The PedsQL™ (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and disease-specific symptoms in children and adolescents ages 2-18. The new PedsQL™ Infant Scales were designed as a generic HRQOL instrument specifically for healthy and ill infants ages 1-24 months. The objective of this study was to report on the initial feasibility, internal consistency reliability, and validity of the PedsQL™ Infant Scales in healthy, acutely ill, and chronically ill infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 36-item (ages 1-12 months) and 45-item (ages 13-24 months) PedsQL™ Infant Scales (Physical Functioning, Physical Symptoms, Emotional Functioning, Social Functioning, Cognitive Functioning) were completed by 683 parents of healthy, acutely ill, and chronically ill infants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PedsQL™ Infant Scales evidenced minimal missing responses, achieved excellent internal consistency reliability for the Total Scale Scores (α = 0.92), distinguished between healthy infants and acutely and chronically ill infants, and demonstrated a confirmatory factor structure largely consistent with the a priori conceptual model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrate the initial measurement properties of the PedsQL™ Infant Scales in healthy and ill infants. The findings suggest that the PedsQL™ Infant Scales may be utilized in the evaluation of generic HRQOL in infants ages 1-24 months.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-3137, USA. jvarni@archmail.tamu.edu
authors: James W
authors: JW
authors: Varni
authors: Christine A
authors: CA
authors: Limbers
authors: Katie
authors: K
authors: Neighbors
authors: Kris
authors: K
authors: Schulz
authors: Judith E C
authors: JE
authors: Lieu
authors: Robert W
authors: RW
authors: Heffer
authors: Krista
authors: K
authors: Tuzinkiewicz
authors: Rita
authors: R
authors: Mangione-Smith
authors: Jerry J
authors: JJ
authors: Zimmerman
authors: Estella M
authors: EM
authors: Alonso
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires