Validity of the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire in Polish children

Abstract

Although the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) was translated for use in Polish asthmatic children, it is necessary to confirm that its validity, reliability, and the accuracy of the responses are not influenced by culture difference. Therefore, the objective of this study was to validate the Polish version of the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. This was a 9-week period cohort study. The patients were interviewed using the PAQLQ on four occasions: at baseline, 1 wk after inclusion, and after 5 and 9 wk. At each clinic visit, lung functions test and NO measurements were performed. Asthma control (according to GINA) was assessed throughout the study. One hundred and one patients completed the study. At all visits, moderate correlations (from r = -0.51 to -0.68) between all PAQLQ domains and the asthma diary were observed. We noticed a significant improvement in the understanding of the questions during the last visit compared to baseline. The gradient of correlation coefficients between the symptoms domain of PAQLQ and asthma diary was observed across study visits. The standards of reliability defined by Cronbach's α-coefficient (from 0.75 to 0.91) were fulfilled in all domains of the questionnaire, at all visits. We found a higher increase in PAQLQ score in patients who obtained asthma control compared to those who lost control during the study. There was no relation between PAQLQ and FeNO. At all visits, moderate correlations (from r = -0.51 to -0.68) were shown between all PAQLQ domains and the asthma diary. We showed that Polish version of PAQLQ is valid and reliable among our study group. Moreover, as far as clinical practice is concerned, PAQLQ seems to be a useful tool for monitoring asthma in children especially based on the physician's grading of asthma severity according to GINA guidelines.