Evaluating the Dutch Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire
Author Information
Author(s): Jessika W. Ouwerkerk, Philomine A. van Pelt, Tim Takken, Paul J.M. Helders, Janjaap van der Net
Primary Institution: Utrecht School of Health Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Hypothesis
The revised CHAQ will have a more normal score distribution than the original CHAQ.
Conclusion
The original CHAQ-38 with the 'mean' score calculation method and the revised CHAQ are better alternatives for future studies in pediatric rheumatology.
Supporting Evidence
- The revised CHAQ showed a significantly normal distribution compared to the original CHAQ.
- The original CHAQ suffers from a ceiling effect, making it hard to assess improvement in less impaired patients.
- The eight more challenging items positively influenced the score distributions of both questionnaires.
- Sample A had a mean age of 14.85 years and a mean duration of joint complaints of 8.30 years.
- Sample B had a mean age of 10.81 years and a mean duration of joint complaints of 2.90 years.
Takeaway
This study looked at a questionnaire used to measure health in children with arthritis and found that a new version works better than the old one.
Methodology
Two convenience samples of children with JIA were studied using box-and-whisker plots and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.
Potential Biases
Differences in patient characteristics between the two samples could introduce bias.
Limitations
The samples were convenience samples and did not complete both versions of the CHAQ, which may affect the results.
Participant Demographics
Sample A included 59 children aged 12-25 years, and Sample B included 31 children aged 4-18 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < .0000
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website