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Measuring health-related quality of life in Greek children: psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM 4.0 Generic Core Scales

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Abstract

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM 4.0 (PedsQLTM 4.0) as a population health outcome measure.

Methods

After cultural linguistic validation, a cross-sectional study with the participation of 645 children (8–12 years old) and their primary caregivers was conducted in a nation-wide representative school-based sample to evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure.

Results

All PedsQL 4.0 scales showed satisfactory reliability, with Cronbach’s α exceeding 0.70—except in self-reported Physical Functioning (α = 0.65). Test–retest stability intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were above 0.60 in all subscales. No floor effects were detected in either the self-report or parent proxy versions. Ceiling effects ranged from 2.2% (self-report Total Score) to 31.1% (parent-report Social Functioning). Poor to moderate agreement between self report and proxy report was observed, especially for the younger age groups of children. Impact of gender, health status, and family affluence status were detected, as hypothesised from previous bibliography, with girls reporting lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL) than boys on the Emotional Functioning subscale, healthy children scoring significantly higher on all scales than those with chronic illnesses, and lower socioeconomic groups scoring significantly lower than higher socioeconomic groups. Factor analysis showed mainly comparable results with the original version.

Conclusions

Present results support the reliability and validity of the PedsQL 4.0 Greek version. The instrument could be a valuable tool in HRQOL measurement in school health care settings and population-based studies in Greek-speaking children, though it should be stressed that when possible, the child should be considered the first informant of his/her HRQOL.

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Acknowledgements

The project was co-funded by the European Social Fund & National Resources—EPEAEK II—PYTHAGORAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health Services Research, Medical School, University of Athens, Alexandroupoleos 25, Athens, 11527, Greece

    Konstantina Gkoltsiou, Christine Dimitrakaki, Chara Tzavara & Yannis Tountas

  2. School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Mother and Child Care, Children’s Hospital Aglaia Kyriakou, Athens, Greece

    Vassiliki Papaevangelou

  3. Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    James W. Varni

  4. Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    James W. Varni

Authors
  1. Konstantina Gkoltsiou
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  2. Christine Dimitrakaki
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  3. Chara Tzavara
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  4. Vassiliki Papaevangelou
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  5. James W. Varni
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  6. Yannis Tountas
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Correspondence to Yannis Tountas.

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Gkoltsiou, K., Dimitrakaki, C., Tzavara, C. et al. Measuring health-related quality of life in Greek children: psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Qual Life Res 17, 299–305 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-007-9294-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-007-9294-1

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