title: Health-related quality of life of preschool children who stutter.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to compare the health-related quality of life (HrQoL) of preschool children who stutter (CWS) and a reference population of children who do not stutter, and to evaluate the association between stuttering severity and HrQoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data were used from 197 children participating in a multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial in the Netherlands. Information on stuttering severity and time since onset (TSO) of stuttering was obtained from the baseline evaluation by speech- and language therapists. Stuttering severity was measured using the SSI-3. HrQoL was assessed using proxy versions of two Child Health Questionnaires (ITQOL-97 and CHQ-PF28), the Health Utility Index 3 (HUI3) and the EuroQoL EQ-VAS (EQ-VAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  While the outcomes on the EQ-VAS and the HUI3 showed that the HrQoL of CWS is slightly poorer than that of the Dutch reference population, results on the different dimensions of the CHQ-instruments did not reveal any difference in scores between stuttering children and reference groups. Within the group of CWS, two ITQOL-97 and four CHQ-PF28 scales showed statistically different scores for children in different SSI stuttering severity or TSO categories. However, the effect sizes showed that these differences were so small that they could be considered negligible.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study do not reveal a diminished HrQoL for preschool CWS. Future research should include a larger cohort of children with severe stuttering, study the longitudinal course of HrQoL and incorporate additional parameters such as the characteristics of the child and his environment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The reader will be able to: (a) summarize the current evidence base on HrQoL in people who stutter; (b) describe the HrQoL of preschool CWS on different HrQoL measures; (c) describe the relationship between stuttering severity and HrQoL in preschool CWS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Erasmus University Medical Center, Sophia Children's Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Speech and Hearing Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GJ Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: desonneville@bmg.eur.nl.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Sonneville-Koedoot
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elly A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stolk
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health/Generation-R, Erasmus University Medical Center, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Raat
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Clazien
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bouwmans-Frijters
authors.affiliation: Erasmus University Medical Center, Sophia Children's Hospital, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Speech and Hearing Centre, Dr. Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GJ Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Franken
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013342:Stuttering / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Health-related quality of life/HrQoL; Preschool children; Stuttering