Development of a Simplified Arabic Questionnaire of Health‐Related Quality of Life for Children With Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The measurement of the quality of life (QoL) of cystic fibrosis (CF) children in the Arabic world is of substantial importance. However, the relative lack of disease-specific Arabic QoL questionnaires may represent a major challenge. OBJECTIVES: To develop a simple questionnaire that could be used for assessing and monitoring the level of QoL in CF children, particularly in Arabic-speaking populations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 50 children and adolescent patients with CF and their caregivers who completed 2 self-administered questionnaires on health-related quality of life (HRQOL); the Arabic simplified CF Questionnaire-Child version for children aged more than 8 years, and the Parent version for children aged from 2 to 8 years. The psychometric properties of the questionnaires were evaluated. Children's data and clinical severity scoring were also collected. RESULTS: The CF QoL questionnaires (child and parent versions) exhibited good internal consistency and reliability, with Cronbach's α values being (α = 0.91, 0.871). Item-item and item-total correlation analyses showed adequate construct validity (0.31-0.86) and (0.277-0.682). Furthermore, patients aged 2-8 years scored significantly better than those aged more than 8 years for the total HRQOL score (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The simplified CF QoL questionnaires are reliable and valid measures of HRQOL for CF children, especially in Arabic-speaking populations. The younger children with CF showed satisfactory health-related QoL levels compared to the older ones. These findings support the important role of a careful psychological assessment of CF children as a part of monitoring the disease progression.