title: Comparing the Visual Analogue Scale and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory for measuring health-related quality of life in children with oral clefts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the performance of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), in measuring overall health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in children with oral clefts relative to the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL™) Generic Core Scales, one of the most validated and commonly used methods to measure pediatric HRQoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included a population-based sample of 307 children aged 5 to 10 years who were born in Iowa, New York, and Arkansas with non-syndromic oral clefts. Data on HRQoL were obtained using a VAS and PedsQL™ via self-administered interviews with the parents. We evaluated the correlations between the VAS and PedsQL™ total scores, and the correlations of each of these two scales with a series of child health and wellbeing indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VAS and PedsQL™ scores were well-correlated (r = 0.67). There were no prominent differences between the correlations of VAS and PedsQL™ with the selected indicators of child health and wellbeing; differences in correlations were less than 0.1. Differences in HRQoL by cleft type were more pronounced on the PedsQL™.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study finds the VAS to perform relatively well in measuring overall HRQoL among children with oral clefts. The VAS may be useful as a screening tool to identify children with oral clefts at risk of low HRQoL for referral into more comprehensive evaluations and for measuring average HRQoL across a sample of children.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Health Management and Policy, Economics, and Preventive and Community Dentistry, and Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, 145 N. Riverside Dr. 100 College of Public Health Building, Room N248, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. george-wehby@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: George L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Wehby
authors.affiliation: Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. hodad-naderi@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Hodad
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naderi
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of Arkansas, 1 Children's Way, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA. RobbinsJamesM@uams.edu.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Robbins
authors.affiliation: Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, University of Iowa, 314 LC, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. timothy-ansley@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Timothy N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Ansley
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry and Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, 212 SQ, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. peter-damiano@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Damiano
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D064232:Visual Analog Scale
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