Measuring health-related quality of life with the EQ-5D-Y instrument in children and adolescents with asthma.
OBJECTIVE
Asthma is one of the most common chronic paediatric diseases worldwide and affects different dimensions of health-related quality of life. This study tested the feasibility and convergent validity of using the EQ-5D-Y instrument on children and adolescents with asthma.


METHODS
A cross-sectional design was chosen, and children with asthma, aged from 8 to 16 years, were recruited from clinics in Stockholm, Sweden. To test convergent validity, the EQ-5D-Y instrument was combined with the Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire.


RESULTS
The EQ-5D-Y proved feasible as nearly 96% of the 94 respondents completed all items on the questionnaire. High and moderate correlations between the two instruments were found for the dimensions of 'doing usual activities' and 'activity limitations' and for 'having pain or discomfort' and 'symptoms'. The visual analogue scale of the ED-5D-Y correlated with the Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire total score and the self-rated health question. The dimensions on the EQ-5D-Y with most reported problems were 'usual activities', 'pain or discomfort' and 'worried, sad or unhappy'.


CONCLUSIONS
The EQ-5D-Y instrument seemed to provide feasibility and convergent validity for measuring health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with asthma.
Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Medical Management Centre, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm County Council, Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden.
Sofi
S
Bergfors
Mimmi
M
Åström
Kristina
K
Burström
Ann-Charlotte
AC
Egmar
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Asthma in children; Health-related quality of life; Quality of life instruments