title: Validation of a web-based version of the asthma control test and childhood asthma control test.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent guidelines focus on adjusting asthma treatment to the level of asthma control. The availability of a web-based asthma control questionnaire offers the possibility to assess asthma control without the need of outpatient clinic visits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agreement between web-based and paper-based versions of the Asthma Control Test (ACT) and Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT), short-term reproducibility and satisfaction with both versions.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred seventy-three children with stable asthma and a normal lung function were randomized to fill in a web-based or paper-based version of the C-ACT (4-11 years) or ACT (12-18 years). According to a cross-over design, they completed the opposite version after 1 week. Reproducibility was evaluated by repeating the 2nd version (web- or paper-based) 7 days later.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-eight children filled in the C-ACT, 68 children filled in the ACT. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for web-based versus paper-based C-ACT was 0.81 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.72-0.87). For ACT this was 0.84 (95% CI 0.76-0.90). For web-based and paper-based C-ACT the reproducibility ICC was 0.82 (95% CI 0.67-0.90) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.59-0.85), respectively. The reproducibility ICC of the ACT for web- and paper-based versions was 0.93 (95% CI 0.87-0.97) and 0.77 (95% CI 0.59-0.88), respectively. Eighty-six percent of patients preferred the web-based version.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The web-based version of the C-ACT and ACT is reproducible and comparable with the paper-based version in assessing asthma control. Most children and their parents prefer the web-based version.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Amphia Hospital, Breda, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Koolen
authors.forename: M W H
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Pijnenburg
authors.forename: H J L
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Brackel
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Landstra
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: P J F M
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Merkus
authors.forename: W C J
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hop
authors.forename: A A P H
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vaessen-Verberne
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires