Validation of the traditional Chinese version of the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5) for children.

Abstract

Persistent sinonasal symptoms are common in children with chronic rhinosinusitis. The Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life (QoL) Survey (SN-5) was the first validated questionnaire measuring sinonasal-related QoL in populations aged 2-12 years. No norm has been established for Chinese-speaking countries. We translated the SN-5 into traditional Chinese and evaluated validity and reliability. From December 2016 to December 2017, healthy volunteers and children with persistent sinonasal symptoms were enrolled. Guardians of the participants completed the SN-5, a visual analog scale (VAS) of nasal symptoms, and the Obstructive Sleep Apnea-18 (OSA-18); the responses were used to assess internal consistency, discriminant validity, and treatment responsiveness. A nontreatment group was administered the SN-5 1 week later to assess test-retest reliability. We recruited 31 healthy volunteers and 85 children with rhinosinusitis, 50 and 35 in the treatment and nontreatment groups, respectively. The SN-5 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.86) and test-retest reliability (0.74, p<0.01). It exhibited good discriminant validity between the healthy and rhinosinusitis groups (p<0.001). The SN-5 scores were correlated with the VAS scores (0.63, p<0.001). The effect size of the SN-5 scores was 0.51. The total SN-5 and OSA-18 scores changed significantly after 4-week treatment (p<0.05) and demonstrated good responsiveness. The SN-5 and OSA-18 scores were significantly and positively correlated (r2=0.53, p<0.001). Our traditional Chinese version of the SN-5 is reliable and valid for measuring sinonasal-related QoL in children in Chinese-speaking countries. NCT04836403.