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A test of the ability to identify emotion in human standing and sitting postures: the diagnostic analysis of nonverbal accuracy-2 posture test (DANVA2-POS).

The purpose of the present study was to introduce the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy for Postures (DANVA2-POS), a test that measures an individual's ability to identify emotion in human standing and sitting postures. The authors describe the construction and selection of the test items. Types of standing and sitting postures were generated from a set of dimensions gleaned from a review of relevant theoretical and empirical literature. Two men and 2 women portraying standing and sitting postures were photographed. An empirical norming procedure was used to select 32 high- and low-intensity standing and sitting postures representing happiness, sadness, anger, and fear. Three hypotheses guided the collection of construct validity evidence. Consistent with the hypotheses, data from 243 participants showed that DANVA2-POS scores increased in accuracy with age, were internally consistent and reliable over time, and were related to self-reported loneliness, fear of negative evaluation, and locus of control. The authors report construct validity evidence from 6 additional studies. Future applications of the DANVA2-POS test are described.

Adult↗

Development and preliminary validation of the cognitive behavioral dieting scale.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to empirically develop the Cognitive Behavioral Dieting Scale (CBDS), a measure of current dieting. METHOD: The first study involved item generation and a procedure to boost internal consistency while reducing scale length. Study 2 involved a factor analysis and measures of scale reliability. The third study evaluated the ability of the CBDS to predict calorie intake and negative calorie balance from a 24-hr diet recall. Study 4 evaluated construct validity by comparing the CBDS to dietary restraint, body image, and health behavior self-efficacy. RESULTS: The CBDS is a 14-item scale which measures current dieting behavior and related thoughts within the past 2 weeks. Internal consistency was alpha = .95 and 2-day test-retest reliability was r = .95. This scale provides a method for operationalizing dieting, provides a construct that is different from restraint, and assess dieting behavior on a continuum. Additionally, this scale was able to predict calorie intake and negative calorie balance above and beyond the predictive ability of physical variables (i.e., body mass index BMI] and exercise calories). An additional study of construct validity showed the CBDS was related to poor body image esteem and dietary restraint, but minimally related to healthy eating self-efficacy. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, the CBDS shows promise as a valid and reliable measure of dieting behavior. This scale should have utility in future research on how current dieting relates to eating disorders, dietary restraint, and obesity.

Adult↗

Measurement of spiritual well-being: a hospice caregiver sample.

This is a methodological study designed to assess the reliability and validity of Paloutzian and Ellison's (1982) Spiritual Well-being Scale. The scale was administered to 70 family members caring for a terminally ill relative. The 20 item measure yields three scores: spiritual well-being (overall score), existential well-being and religious well-being (overall score), existential well-being and religious well-being. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .95, .94, and .84 respectively. Construct validity of the measure is discussed in relation to Bradburn's Affect Balance Scale, qualitative data obtained during the interviews and a review of relevant literature related to spiritual well-being. Evidence in support of construct validity of the Spiritual Well-being Scale is lacking.

Aged↗

State Behavioral Scale: a sedation assessment instrument for infants and young children supported on mechanical ventilation.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test the reliability and validity of the State Behavioral Scale for use in describing sedation/agitation levels in young intubated patients supported on mechanical ventilation. DESIGN: : In this prospective, psychometric evaluation, pairs of trained pediatric critical care nurse evaluators simultaneously and independently assessed a convenience sample of pediatric intensive care unit patients along eight state/behavioral dimensions and a numeric rating scale (NRS) of 0 (extremely sedated) to 10 (extremely agitated). The eight dimensions were derived from the sedation/agitation literature and expert opinion and included respiratory drive, response to ventilation, coughing, best response to stimulation, attentiveness to careprovider, tolerance to care, consolability, and movement after consoled, each with 3-5 levels. SETTING: An 18-bed pediatric medical-surgical intensive care unit and 26-bed pediatric cardiovascular intensive care unit in a university-affiliated academic children's hospital. PATIENTS: A total of 91 intubated mechanically ventilated patients 6 wks to 6 yrs of age provided a median of two observations (interquartile range, 1-3) for a total of 198 sets of observations. Excluded were postoperative patients or those receiving neuromuscular blockade. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were observed for 1 min, and then incremental levels of stimulation were applied until patient response. After 2 mins of consoling, the state behavioral assessment and NRS were completed. MEASUREMENTS: Weighted kappa and intraclass coefficients were generated to assess interrater reliability of the eight dimension and NRS ratings. Distinct state behavior profiles were empirically identified from the dimension ratings using hierarchical cluster analysis using a squared Euclidean distance measure and between-groups linkage. Construct validity of these profiles was assessed by comparing group mean NRS scores using one-way analysis of variance. MAIN RESULTS: Weighted kappa scores for all 198 dimension ratings ranged from .44 to .76, indicating moderate to good interrater reliability. The intraclass coefficient of .79 was high for NRS ratings. Cluster analysis revealed five distinct state profiles, with mean NRS ratings of 1.1, 2.5, 4.0, 5.3, and 7.6, all of which differed significantly from each other (F = 75.8, p < .001), supporting the profiles' construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: Based on empirically derived state behavior profiles, we have constructed the State Behavioral Scale to allow systematic description of the sedation-agitation continuum in young pediatric patients supported on mechanical ventilation. Further studies including prospective validation and describing the effect of State Behavioral Scale implementation on clinical outcomes, including the quality of sedation and length of mechanical ventilation, are warranted.

Child↗

Reliability and validity of the COOP/WONCA health status measure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The objective of the study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Dartmouth Primary Care Cooperative Information Project/World Organization of National Colleges, Academies, and Academic Associations of General Practice/Family Physicians (COOP/WONCA) questionnaire in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The test-retest reliability of individual items of the COOP/WONCA questionnaire was assessed using a weighted kappa-statistic, and construct validity was assessed by correlating items of the COOP/WONCA with the EQ-5D health status measure. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing scores for known groups, at the same time comparing the results with those of a lung-specific health status questionnaire. The individual items of the COOP/WONCA had test-retest reliabilities of 0.67-0.78 (weighted kappa). Spearman's rank correlations between COOP/WONCA single-item scores and corresponding EQ-5D ranged 0.45-0.72, which were generally higher than associations between non-corresponding items. Four of the five COOP/WONCA items did not discriminate between patient groups divided according to forced expiratory flow in 1 sec (FEV1) in percent of predicted and 6-min walking distance, while four of five items of the lung-specific questionnaire discriminated well between these groups. The COOP/WONCA chart system was reliable and showed properties supporting the construct validity of the measure. The items, however, did not discriminate well between known groups, indicating that this questionnaire is not very sensitive in patients with COPD. The reliability of the COOP/WONCA items was acceptable for use at group level, but lower than current recommendations for use in individual patients.

Adult↗

Development and validation of the Dartmouth Operative Conditions Scale.

Studies of pediatric sedation practice have suffered from the lack of an objective scale that would allow for a comparison of the effectiveness and safety of sedation provided by various providers and techniques. We present the Dartmouth Operative Conditions Scale (DOCS), which is designed as a research tool to codify the appropriateness of the procedural conditions provided by various sedation interventions. To begin, human factors methodology was used to develop a model of the pediatric sedation process and to define the criteria for measuring a patient's condition during a procedure (DOCS). To accomplish validation, 70 video clips (30-s duration) were then selected from more than 300 h of procedural video tape for testing/grading purposes. Inter-rater reliability was tested by comparing the score for each video clip among 10 different raters. Intra-rater reliability was evaluated by retesting all of the raters 1 yr after their initial rating. Construct validity was confirmed by analyzing the change in DOCS score relative to the time that sedation intervention was undertaken. Criterion validity was tested by comparing the DOCS to a modified COMFORT score. The DOCS was completed with excellent inter-rater (kappa = 0.84) and intra-rater (kappa = 0.91) agreement by 10 health care providers with various backgrounds during the 1-yr study period. Criterion validity was supported by the close correlation between the DOCS and the modified COMFORT scores for 20 distinct video clips (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.98; P <0.001). The distribution of DOCS scores 20 min after the anesthetic induction was significantly lower than the scores before initiation of sedation, and scores after emergence were consistently higher than those 20 min after sedation (P <0.001), thus confirming construct validity of the scale. The DOCS is a validated research tool when used with video data for comparing the effectiveness and safety of pediatric sedation service, regardless of technique used for decreasing anxiety or pain during a procedure.

Child↗

Assessment of burden in partners of stroke patients with the sense of competence questionnaire.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The burden of caregiving can be harmful to both carers' and patients' functional health, but a specific instrument to assess the burden of caregiving as experienced by carers of stroke patients is not yet available. The Sense of Competence Questionnaire (SCQ), reliable and valid among caregivers of dementia patients, was evaluated on its metric properties in a population of partners of stroke patients. METHODS: As part of a multicenter study on quality of care, SCQ burden scores of partners and functional health of patients were assessed 6 months after stroke (group A; n=166). In this study group, the reliability in terms of homogeneity, the construct validity, and the clinical validity of the SCQ were evaluated. The test-retest reliability was assessed in a separate group (group B; n=47). The feasibility was examined in both study groups. RESULTS: The reliability of the total SCQ score was good (Chronbach's alpha coefficient=0.83; intraclass correlation coefficient=0.93). Statistical support for construct validity was shown by principal-components analysis. Clinical validity was supported by the association between higher SCQ burden scores and patients' impaired functional health: cognitive function (P=.03), disability (P=.10), handicap (P<.01), and quality of life (P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: The SCQ is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing burden of caregiving as experienced by partners of stroke patients. It is suitable for use in cross-sectional stroke studies and may help to identify partners at risk for high levels of burden and caregiving-related problems.

Adult↗

Reliability and validity of a parent questionnaire on childhood motor skills.

OBJECTIVE: As the consequences of clumsiness in children become better understood, the need for valid measurement tools is apparent. Parent report has the potential for providing historical knowledge of the child's motor skills, as well as perceptions of their children's motor difficulties. The objective was to develop a parent questionnaire to identify motor difficulties in children. METHOD: A sample of 306 children participated in the development of a 17-item parent questionnaire, called the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ). Internal consistency, concurrent and construct validity were examined. RESULTS: The DCDQ proved capable of distinguishing children who had motor problems (as measured by standardized tests) from children without motor problems. Correlations with standardized tests were significant. Two other studies confirmed the construct validity of the DCDQ. Factor analysis revealed four distinct factors, useful in defining the nature of the difficulties. CONCLUSION: The DCDQ is a succinct and useful measure for use by occupational therapists.

Adolescent↗

The development and initial validation of the Liverpool sicca index to assess symptoms and dysfunction in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A validated measure to assess sicca-related symptoms in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (1 degrees SS) is required for clinical studies. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was developed to assess sicca-related symptoms and dysfunction in 1 degrees SS. This was administered to three groups of 40 respondents to measure construct validity: 1 degrees SS patients, non-SS patients reporting xerostomia and a non-patient group. The frequency of scores and the mean score for each question were calculated for each group. Reliability was assessed by test/retest. RESULTS: The measure consisted of 28 items divided into five domains. Scores for questions in domains were generally worse (higher) for 1 degrees SS patients than for patients with xerostomia. The non-patient group reported the best (lowest) scores for all questions. The Kappa statistic for all but four questions was greater than 0.6, suggesting good reliability. CONCLUSION: Questionnaire showed good construct validity and reliability. The Liverpool sicca index needs to be further validated in larger, multicentre studies.

Adult↗

The Eating Behavior Patterns Questionnaire predicts dietary fat intake in African American women.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a behavioral assessment of eating that would be predictive of fat intake in African American women. DESIGN: Questionnaires were developed using a three-stage design, involving item generation, item refinement, and questionnaire validation. SUBJECTS: Focus groups sessions were conducted with 40 African American women, initial questionnaire development employed 80 African American women, and questionnaire validation involved 310 African American women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Statistical analyses Transcripts of focus groups were used to generate 113 behavioral questionnaire items. The initial questionnaire was administered along with a food frequency questionnaire, and the item pool was reduced to 51 items. Factor analysis was used to create subscales. Correlation (r) and multiple regression analysis (R) were used to evaluate construct validity. RESULTS: Factor analysis revealed six subscales: low-fat eating, emotional eating, snacking on sweets, cultural/ethnic, haphazard planning, and meal skipping. The scales are significant predictors of micronutrient (R values from 0.22 to 0.47) and macronutrient intakes (R values from 0.33 to 0.58) assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and show construct validity in relationship to other measures of eating behavior (r values from 0.22 to 0.65). APPLICATIONS: The Eating Behavior Patterns Questionnaire (EBPQ) may be a useful tool for clinical assessment, clinical and community nutrition intervention studies, and epidemiologic research with African American women.

Adult↗

Reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire in patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

The aim of this study is to analyse the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Chronic Pain Grade (CPG) questionnaire within a population of chronic musculoskeletal pain patients. The CPG questionnaire was adapted following the translation and back-translation methodologies. There were 576 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Internal consistency was checked by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Construct validity was analysed by performing principal component factor analysis and by comparing CPG dimensions and subscales with the SF-36 questionnaire. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing the CPG and SF-36 dimensions in patients with and without other health conditions. Factor analysis yielded two factors which accounted for 76.4% of the variance of the questionnaire. Both subscales of the CPG showed satisfying to good internal consistency. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for the first factor 'Disability Score' (58.72% of the explained variance) and 0.81 for the second factor 'Characteristic Pain Intensity' (17.70% of the explained variance). Item-total correlations for the subscales were moderate up to high (from 0.500 to 0.771). In comparison with the SF-36, the expected correlations were found when comparing items measuring similar constructs, supporting the concepts of convergent construct validity. Discriminant validity, assessed by comparing the CPG dimensions in patients with and without other health conditions, showed that the CPG shows moderate association with the presence of co-morbidities. Furthermore, the CPG Disability Score was inversely correlated (p=0.01) to years of formal education. In conclusion, the Italian version of the CPG questionnaire has shown to be valid and reliable for evaluating the severity of chronic musculoskeletal pain, with metric properties in agreement with the original, widely used version.

Adult↗

The Juvenile Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire--development of a new responsive index for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile spondyloarthritides.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a disease specific measure of quality of life for application in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile spondyloarthritides-the Juvenile Arthritis Quality of Life Questionnaire (JAQQ). METHODS: Patients and their parents were interviewed by a trained interviewer using a questionnaire focusing on physical function, psychosocial function, and general symptoms to determine the most appropriate items to include in the JAQQ. Respondents volunteered items and scored them for frequency of occurrence and importance. Items so generated were scored by a panel of experts for potential responsiveness and categorized into dimensions. Item number was reduced using this scoring system. The product was then pretested to confirm its construct validity and responsiveness. Thereafter, it was distributed to clinical experts to establish face and content validity. RESULTS: 91 patients, mean age 10.35 years (range 1.25-18.0), mean disease duration 3.99 years, and their parents were included in the interview process. 220 items generated were ultimately reduced to 85. Pretesting this version of the instrument in a further 30 patients showed it to have construct validity and responsiveness and led to a further reduction in items to 74, distributed in 4 dimensions: gross motor function (17 items), fine motor function (16 items), psychosocial function (22 items), and general symptoms (19 items). Face and content validity were established in 20 clinicians. Scaling was by 7 point Likert scale to enhance responsiveness. English and French versions were developed. CONCLUSION: The JAQQ measures physical and psychosocial function and an array of general symptoms. Preliminary data suggest it is valid and responsive and thus might have potential in clinical trials.

Adolescent↗

Psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI) in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment of suicidality is of major importance in both clinical and research settings. The Scale for Suicidal Ideation (SSI) is a well-established clinician-rating scale but its suitability to adolescents has not been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity, and to test an appropriate cutoff threshold for the SSI in a depressed adolescent outpatient population and controls. METHODS: 218 adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinic patients suffering from depressive disorders and 200 age- and sex-matched school-attending controls were evaluated by the SSI for presence and severity of suicidal ideation. Internal consistency, discriminative-, concurrent-, and construct validity as well as the screening properties of the SSI were evaluated. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha for the whole SSI was 0.95. The SSI total score differentiated patients and controls, and increased statistically significantly in classes with increasing severity of suicidality derived from the suicidality items of the K-SADS-PL diagnostic interview. Varimax-rotated principal component analysis of the SSI items yielded three theoretically coherent factors suggesting construct validity. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.84 for the whole sample and 0.80 for the patient sample. The optimal cutoff threshold for the SSI total score was 3/4 yielding sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 88.9% in this population. CONCLUSIONS: SSI appears to be a reliable and a valid measure of suicidal ideation for depressed adolescents.

Adolescent↗

The ORTHO BC-SAT--a satisfaction questionnaire for women using hormonal contraceptives.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability and validity of the ORTHO Birth Control Satisfaction Assessment Tool (ORTHO BC-SAT). DESIGN: 339 women using 1 of 4 hormonal birth control methods (oral contraceptives, transdermal patch, vaginal ring, injections), completed the questionnaire 1-2 times. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The questionnaire was developed based on findings from the literature, focus groups, and interviews. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity, and known groups validity were evaluated. RESULTS: Based on variable clustering, 8 domains were identified (Ease of Use/Convenience, Compliance, Lifestyle Impact, Symptom/Side Effect Bother, Menstrual Impact, Future Fertility Concerns, Assurance/Confidence, Overall Satisfaction). Internal consistency reliability was demonstrated with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.70 to 0.89. All multi-item scales reported acceptable test-retest reliability (0.79-0.87). Construct validity was demonstrated by support of a hypothesized pattern of correlations. Known groups validity was confirmed by examining scale scores of women categorized by levels of symptom bother. As expected, women with the least amount of bother reported higher scores on all satisfaction scales than those with higher bother (p < 0.0001), except on Future Fertility Concerns (p = 0.27). CONCLUSION: Our results support the reliability and validity of the ORTHO BC-SAT. It may be used in future studies to evaluate satisfaction among hormonal contraceptive users.

Adult↗

Evaluation of GERD symptoms during therapy. Part II. Psychometric evaluation and validation of the new questionnaire ReQuest in erosive GERD.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Evaluation of the response of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms to treatment would be facilitated by a brief, valid, reliable and responsive, self-assessed GERD-sensitive scale. We therefore developed the Reflux Questionnaire (ReQuest). This publication describes the psychometric evaluation and validation of ReQuest. METHODS: This second phase of development was based on data from a clinical trial of patients with erosive GERD who received pantoprazole 20 or 40 mg daily for 28 days and completed weekly the long, and daily the short version of ReQuest. The psychometric analyses of ReQuest included internal consistency, test-retest reliability and responsiveness. Construct validity was evaluated by comparison with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and the Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) scale. RESULTS: Validation of ReQuest indicated very high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.94 (long-long) and 0.86 (short-short)). This was also the case for the two subscales ReQuest-GI and ReQuest-WSO with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.84 and 0.81. Responsiveness was high with a responsiveness index of >0.8 at day 28. Construct validity was good. CONCLUSION: ReQuest is a highly reliable, valid and responsive self-assessment tool for evaluating treatment response in patients with erosive GERD, and can be applied daily.

Endpoint Determination↗

Assessment of neonatal resuscitation skills: a reliable and valid scoring system.

OBJECTIVE: To study the reliability and validity of a scoring instrument for the assessment of neonatal resuscitation skills in a training setting. METHODS: Fourteen paediatric residents performed a neonatal resuscitation on a manikin, while being recorded with a video camera. The videotapes were analysed using an existing scoring instrument with an established face and content validity, adjusted for use in a training setting. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were assessed by comparing the ratings of the videotapes of three raters, one of who rated the videotapes twice. Intra-class coefficients (ICC) were calculated for the sum score, percentages of agreement and kappa coefficients for the individual items. To study construct validity, the performance of a second resuscitation of by residents was assessed after they had received feedback on their first performance. RESULTS: The ICC were 0.95 and 0.77 for intra- and inter-rater reliability, respectively. The median percentage of intra-rater agreement was 100%; inter-rater agreement 78.6-84.0%. The median kappa was 0.85 for intra-rater reliability, and 0.42-0.59 for inter-rater reliability. Residents showed a 10% improvement (95% confidence interval -4; 23%) on performance of a second resuscitation, which supports the instrument's construct validity. CONCLUSION: A useful and valid instrument with good intra-rater and reasonable inter-rater reliability is now available for the assessment of neonatal resuscitation skills in a training setting. Its reliability can be improved by using a more advanced manikin and by training of the raters.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗

Development, reliability and validity of a new measure of overall health for pre-school children.

BACKGROUND: Few comprehensive systems are available for assessing and reporting the overall health of preschool children. OBJECTIVES: (i) To develop a multi-dimension health status classification system (HSCS) to describe pre-school (PS) children 2.5-5 years of age; (ii) to report reliability and validity of the newly developed measure. DESIGN: Existing systems (Health Utilities Index, Mark 2 and 3) were adapted for application to a pre-school population. The new system was tested for acceptability, validity and reliability. PARTICIPANTS: Three cohorts of children and their parents from Canada and Australia were utilized: Cohort 1 (MAC)-101 3-years old very low birthweight (VLBW, <1500 g) and 50 same age term children from Canada; Cohort 2 (AUS)-150 VLBW 3-years old from Australia; Cohort 3 (OMG)-222 3-years old with cerebral palsy (CP) from Ontario. METHODS: Parental intra-rater reliability was evaluated by completion of the HSCS-PS Parent questionnaire (MAC) at the clinic visit and again 14 days later. Health professionals (MAC) completed the HSCS-PS Clinician questionnaire. Percent agreement and Kappa values were used to assess parent-clinician agreement. Concurrent validity was tested in two populations of VLBW children (MAC and AUS) and a reference group of term children (MAC) by exploring the relationships between dimensions of the HSCS-PS and well-recognized norm-referenced measures: the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II), the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) and the Stanford-Binet (SB). Construct validity was tested by comparing ratings on both the HSCS-PS and the Gross Motor Function classification system (GMFCS) using a population of pre-school children with CP. Analyses were done using chi2, ANOVA and correlations with tau-b statistic. RESULTS: The HSCS-PS has 12 dimensions and 3-5 levels per dimension. Response rate for parental intra-rater reliability was 95%, with percent agreement ranging between 86 and 100%. Kappa values for various dimensions ranged from 0.38 to 1.00. Inter-rater reliability between parents and clinicians showed agreement ranging from 72 to 100%. Kappa values ranged from 0.30 to 1.00. CONCURRENT VALIDITY: There was a statistically significant gradient between HSCS-PS Mobility levels and motor scale scores of the BSID-II and VABS. A significant gradient also occurred when comparing HSCS-PS cognition levels to psychometric scores on the BSID-II and SB, as well as HSCS-PS self-care levels compared to VABS Daily Living scores. DISCRIMINATIVE AND CONSTRUCT VALIDITY: Birthweight category was shown to be a significant determinant of proportion of children with multiple HSCS-PS dimensions affected. In addition, HSCS-PS dimension levels were congruent with GMFCS levels where expected: mobility had excellent correlation; self-care, dexterity, speech and cognitive dimensions had moderate correlations. CONCLUSIONS: The HSCS-PS is readily accepted, quick to complete, widely applicable and provides a multi-dimensional description of health status. Preliminary assessments of reliability and validity are promising. The HSCS-PS can discriminate across populations by birthweight and shows strong relationships with standardized psychometric measures in comparable domains. It can pro- vide a summary profile of functional limitations in various populations of pre-school children in a consistent manner across programs and in different settings.

Australia↗

[Adaptation of health-related quality of life ("SF-36") questionnaire, its validation and assessment of performance for control group and patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the Lithuanian "SF-36" questionnaire, to assess psychometric and life quality criteria for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and for control group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Linguistic and cross-cultural adaptation of the Lithuanian "SF-36" questionnaire was made on the basis of the stages referred to in the international project of health quality assessment. For the evaluation of psychometric criteria, data from Vilnius rheumatoid arthritis register (502 patients) and those of the control group (83 people) were used. The reliability of "SF-36" questionnaire was assessed by determining homogeneity, internal consistency of scales and scale stability in time and by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient. Face, contents and construct validity of the "SF-36" questionnaire has been evaluated, as well as the quality of life of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and those of the control group. RESULTS: After making linguistic and cultural adaptation of the questionnaire, its final version has been prepared. In assessing the homogeneity of "SF-36", a high and middle-sized correlation between different items of the questionnaire has been noticed in the control group (r=0.51-0.71) and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (r=0.57-0.83). Internal consistency for the items was also good enough (Kronbach alpha=0.79-0.85) for both tested groups. Stability in time was high for all items of the questionnaire, for the exception of vitality (r=0.074). Face and contents validity of the questionnaire is rather good. Estimates of the correlation between items of the quality of life questionnaire and other questionnaires have shown good convergent and discriminant construct validity. Evaluations of the quality of life in almost all spheres, except emotional, by patients with rheumatoid arthritis were worse than by the rest. CONCLUSIONS: Questions of health-related quality of life questionnaire are easy to understand and acceptable for the respondents. Reliability and validity of the questionnaire is rather high. For the exception of emotional status, quality of life in almost all spheres was considered as bad by patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The control group had more complaints about the emotional status.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗