Health-related quality of life by allergy symptoms in elementary school students

Abstract

BackgroundGlobally, allergic diseases are very common in childhood and may affect children’s quality of life. This study aimed to explore health-related quality of life of elementary school students with allergy symptoms using the EQ-5D-Y and to examine the validity and feasibility of the EQ-5D-Y.MethodsThe study subjects were the students within 50 elementary schools which voluntarily participated in research project. In this sample population, the EQ-5D-Y questionnaire was self-administered by the students, and demographic and health information were collected from the student’s parents. The parents’ information was used to investigate the proportion of students with allergic symptoms (wheezing, runny or blocked nose, and itchy rash) in the past 12 months. In addition, we analyzed the correlation of symptom reporting and EQ-5D-Y including EQ-VAS.ResultsThe overall return was 9117 responses, of which 198 (2.2%) lacked responses on the EQ-5D-Y dimension and 1258 (13.8%) on the VAS score. There were significant differences in symptom reporting in all EQ-5D-Y dimensions between groups with or without allergic symptoms. Particularly, there was a large difference in reporting rates in ‘having pain or discomfort’ and ‘feeling worried, sad or unhappy’ dimensions. As the number of allergic symptoms increased, in all dimensions also the problem reporting rate tended to increase.ConclusionsAs expected, the presence of allergic symptoms is inversely correlated with the quality of life of children. The EQ-5D-Y instrument proved to be useful in terms of feasibility and construct validity in assessing the quality of life of Korean elementary school students.

Measurement properties of the EQ-5D-Y administered through a smartphone app in children with asthma: a longitudinal questionnaire study

“…This high ceiling effect in our sample could be partly explained by the considerable proportion of participants with well-controlled symptoms of asthma (58.6%). Furthermore, a similar ceiling effect, above 80%, has been also reported for the “mobility” and “looking after myself” dimensions in other studies with children or adolescents with asthma [ 42 ] and other chronic conditions [ 43 , 44 ]. These ceiling effects are very high considering the established recommendation of 15% for HRQL scores [ 70 ].…”

“…As far as we know, there is only one study centered on the psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-Y in patients with asthma [ 42 ], supporting its feasibility and its convergent validity with the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. Other studies in heterogeneous samples that included children and adolescents with asthma [ 43 , 44 ] also supported the EQ-5D-Y’s feasibility, reliability, and construct validity.…”

“…These results are similar to the 96% response rate reported in the abovementioned cross-sectional Swedish study on children and adolescents with asthma [ 42 ]. The flexibility of the administration through the app benefits our completion results, especially for the EQ-VAS with a completion rate of almost 100%, compared with 91% and 86.2% reported in studies where the EQ-5D-Y was administered in paper format to children with chronic conditions [ 43 ] and schoolchildren [ 44 ], respectively. The losses to follow-up (44 participants who downloaded the app but did not follow until month 6) are likely related to major misunderstandings regarding the app, such us patients thinking that it only had to be answered once and then deleted [ 52 ].…”

Measurement Properties of the EQ-5D-Y: A Systematic Review

“…The pooled value amounted to 1% (95% CI 1-2; I 2 = 98%; see Appendix Fig.S3in Supplemental Materials found at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2022.05.013). The highest value (13.8%) was reported in a general population study from South Korea 42.…”

A Review of the Psychometric Performance of Selected Child and Adolescent Preference-Based Measures Used to Produce Utilities for Child and Adolescent Health

“…Sample size varied considerably, from 7 participants 62 to 9949. 63 Thirteen studies had sample sizes less than 50, 15 studies had sample sizes between 50 and 99, and 7 studies had sample sizes of 1000 or more.…”