title: Quality of life in caregivers of children with asthma: Validity and reliability of the IFABI-R questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parents'/caregivers' quality of life is an important aspect to consider when handling paediatric asthma, but there is a paucity of valid and reliable instruments to measure it. The Family Impact of Childhood Bronchial Asthma (IFABI-R) is a recently developed questionnaire to facilitate the assessment of asthma-related parents'/caregivers' quality of life. This study researches the psychometric properties of IFABI-R.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents/main caregivers of 462 children between 4 and 14 years of age with active asthma were included in the sample. IFABI-R was administered on two different occasions and a number of other variables related to the parents'/caregivers' quality of life were measured: child's asthma control, family functioning, and parents'/caregivers' perception of asthma symptoms in the child. IFABI-R evaluative and discriminative properties were analysed, and the minimal important change in the IFABI-R score was identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  IFABI-R showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.941), cross-sectional construct validity (correlation with the degree of child's asthma control, family functioning and parent/caregiver perception of the child's asthma symptoms), longitudinal construct validity (correlation of changes in the IFABI-R with changes in asthma control and changes in the perception of symptoms), sensitivity to change and test-retest reliability. An absolute change of 0.3 units in IFABI-R related to a minimal significant change in the parents'/caregivers' quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IFABI-R is a reliable and valid instrument to study the quality of life of parents/caregivers of children with asthma.
authors.affiliation: CS Villamuriel de Cerrato, Palencia, Spain. Electronic address: acanog@saludcastillayleon.es.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cano-Garcinuño
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology and Health, Barcelona Autonomous University, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Forns-Serrallonga
authors.affiliation: CS Infiesto, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mora-Gandarillas
authors.affiliation: CS Buelna, Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bercedo-Sanz
authors.affiliation: CS Bidebieta, San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Callén-Blecua
authors.affiliation: CS Fuentes de Ebro, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Castillo-Laita
authors.affiliation: CS Venta de Baños, Palencia, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Casares-Alonso
authors.affiliation: ABS Martorell, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tauler-Toro
authors.affiliation: CS La Ería, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Alonso-Bernardo
authors.affiliation: CS Vallobín-La Florida, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Á
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: García-Merino
authors.affiliation: CS Las Fuentes Norte, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moneo-Hernández
authors.affiliation: CS Canillejas, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cortés-Rico
authors.affiliation: CS La Ería, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Carvajal-Urueña
authors.affiliation: CS Zona Centro, Badajoz, Spain.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Morell-Bernabé
authors.affiliation: CAP La Mina, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Martín-Ibáñez
authors.affiliation: CS La Cuesta, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Fernández-Oliva
authors.affiliation: CS Serrería, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Asensi-Monzó
authors.affiliation: CS El Valle, Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fernández-Carazo
authors.affiliation: CS San Felipe, Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murcia-García
authors.affiliation: CS Arroyo de la Luz, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Durán-Iglesias
authors.affiliation: CS Mar Báltico, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Montón-Álvarez
authors.affiliation: CS Otero, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Aurrecoechea
authors.affiliation: CS La Candelaria, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Praena-Crespo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards
keywords: Asthma; Caregivers; Family impact; Quality of life