Measuring the function of children with juvenile arthritis

Abstract

Objective. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can affect a child's performance across a range of activities necessary to normal childhood development. Although there are now several available measures of disability in JIA, none have been validated for use with children in the UK. Consequently, a study was undertaken to compare and validate four such measures, together with a locally developed function test. Methods. Fifty-three children between the ages of 5 and 16 yr were recruited into the study. The mean age was 10.4 yr and mean duration of disease 4 yr. Seventy per cent were female. Results. Internal consistency was adequate in three of five measures. Four of five measures showed the expected associations between disease activity and function (P < 0.05). The level of reliability was poor for tests that involved direct assessment by therapists. Most showed poor levels of unidimensionality. Conclusion. Until new measures become available, the CHAQ appears to be the current 'best buy' for measuring function in children with arthritis.