Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the pediatric quality of life inventoryTM (PedsQLTM) 3.0 neuromuscular module in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Abstract

Background: The Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM (PedsQLTM) is a widely used instrument to measure pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children aged 2 to 18 years. The current study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the PedsQLTM 3.0 Neuromuscular Module in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).Methods: The PedsQLTM 3.0 Neuromuscular Module was translated into Chinese following PedsQLTM Measurement Model Translation Methodology. The Chinese version scale was administered to 56 children with DMD and their parents, and the psychometric properties were evaluated.Results: The missing value percentages for each item of the Chinese version scale ranged from 0.00% to 0.54%. Internal consistency reliability approached or exceeded the minimum reliability standard of α = 0.7 (child α = 0.81, parent α = 0.86). Test-retest reliability was satisfactory, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.66 for children and 0.88 for parents (P < 0.01). Correlation coefficients between iteims and their hypothesized subscales were higher than those with other subscales (P < 0.05). The subscale of " About My/My Child's Neuromuscular Disease" significantly related to mobility and stair climbing status (Child t = 2.21, Parent t = 2.83, P < 0.05). The inter-correlations among the Chinese version of the PedsQLTM 3.0 Neuromuscular Module and the PedsQLTM 4.0 Generic Core Scales had medium to large effect sizes (P < 0.05). The child self-report scores were in moderate agreement with the parent proxy-report scores (ICC = 0.51, P < 0.05).Conclusions: The Chinese version of the PedsQLTM 3.0 Neuromuscular Module has acceptable psychometric properties. It is a reliable measure of disease-specific HRQOL in Chinese children with DMD. © 2013 Hu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.