title: Asthma-like symptoms in the first year of life and health-related quality of life at age 12 months: the Generation R study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study compares HRQOL among subgroups of infants with asthma-like symptoms to a subgroup without such symptoms and examines independent associations between asthma-like symptoms during the first year of life and HRQOL at age 12 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study sample included 5,000 infants participating in the Generation R study. Their parents completed structured questionnaires to obtain information on asthma-like symptoms, HRQOL, infants', and maternal characteristics. Asthma-like symptoms were defined according to the number of positive answers to 12 items on lower respiratory symptoms. HRQOL was measured using the ITQOL. Higher scores indicated better HRQOL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Infants with asthma-like symptoms had significantly lower HRQOL scores for all ITQOL scales. Among the subgroup with severe symptoms (4% of the infants), relevant deficits in HRQOL were observed for most ITQOL scales, particularly for General Health, Bodily Pain, and Family Activities (effect sizes ≥ 0.8). In multivariate linear models, asthma-like symptoms were independently associated with 6 ITQOL scales. The population attributable risks were especially high for Family Activities, General Health, Parental Emotional, and Parental Time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthma-like symptoms during the first year of life are associated with impaired quality of life at age 12 months. At population level, asthma-like symptoms were associated with lower HRQOL, regardless of symptom severity.
authors.affiliation: The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. a.mohangoo@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Ashna D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Mohangoo
authors.forename: Harry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: de Koning
authors.forename: Johan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Jongste
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Landgraf
authors.forename: Johannes C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: van der Wouden
authors.forename: Vincent W V
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Jaddoe
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.forename: Henriette A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.forename: Johan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mackenbach
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raat
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires