Abstract

Objectives

Evidence on the impact of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) on pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQL) remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of HRQL measurement instruments for children with RTIs using longitudinal assessments.

Methods

HRQL was assessed in children younger than 16 years with RTIs using proxy-reported versions of EuroQol 5-Dimension Youth version, 3-Level (EQ-5D-Y-3L), the experimental EuroQol Toddler and Infant Populations v2.0 (EQ-TIPS), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). The PedsQL score was collected weekly for 7 weeks after symptom onset, whereas the EQ-5D-Y-3L or EQ-TIPS-3L score was collected daily for the first 14 days and then weekly until 7 weeks after onset. Changes in quality-adjusted life-days were calculated using EQ-5D-Y-3L based on the Japanese-specific utility value set. The changes in the total score of PedsQL and level sum score of EQ-TIPS-3L were also calculated.

Results

Presymptomatic HRQL data were obtained from 423 participants. The total PedsQL, EQ-5D-Y-3L, and EQ-TIPS-3L scores demonstrated moderate to large responsiveness in capturing differences in HRQL between presymptomatic and first-week symptomatic phases. The known-group validity to differentiate hospitalized and nonhospitalized cases was low in all instruments. The median change in quality-adjusted life-days for all RTIs was −3.0 [interquartile range −6.5, −1.1].

Conclusions

This study assessed responsiveness and validity for the PedsQL, EQ-5D-Y-3L, and EQ-TIPS-3L in measuring HRQL changes following RTIs. The known-group validity score was lower in EQ-TIPS-3L than that in EQ-5D-Y-3L.