Validation of the Argentinean Spanish PedsQL™ 4.0 for Children with Chronic Diseases
Author Information
Author(s): Mariana Roizen, Susana Rodríguez, Gabriela Bauer, Gabriela Medin, Silvina Bevilacqua, James W Varni, Veronica Dussel
Primary Institution: Hospital de Pediatria Prof. Dr. Juan P Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hypothesis
To validate the Argentinean Spanish version of the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales in Argentinean children and adolescents with chronic conditions and to assess the impact of socio-demographic characteristics on the instrument's comprehensibility and acceptability.
Conclusion
The Argentinean Spanish PedsQL™ 4.0 is suitable for research purposes in public health settings for children over 8 years old and parents of children over 5 years old.
Supporting Evidence
- The PedsQL™ 4.0 was feasible and easy to administer, with most children completing it with minimal help.
- Cronbach Alpha's internal consistency values exceeded 0.70 for self-reports of children over 8 years old.
- The PedsQL™ 4.0 discriminated between healthy and chronically ill children.
- Children living below the poverty line had lower PedsQL™ scores.
Takeaway
This study shows that a health questionnaire for kids in Argentina is easy to use and helps understand how sick kids feel, especially those from poorer families.
Methodology
A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 287 children with chronic conditions and 105 healthy children, ages 2–18, who completed the PedsQL™ 4.0 and an overall health status assessment.
Potential Biases
Children and parents from lower socioeconomic strata and low literacy levels required more help to complete the instrument.
Limitations
The sample size does not allow for thorough evaluations across illnesses and age groups, and test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change were not assessed.
Participant Demographics
Children aged 2-18, with a significant portion living below the poverty line and having low literacy levels.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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