Functional status and well-being of children representing three cultural groups: Initial self-reports using the CHQ-CF87

The CHQ-CF87 was constructed to measure the self-perceived physical and psychosocial well-being of children ten years of age and older using 10 multi-item Likert-type summated rating scales. This study augments previous work about children's self-reported health status using the CHQ-CF87 by examining tests of item scaling assumptions and differences in health scores as reported by children representing three predominant cultural groups in the US (African-American, Spanish-American and Caucasian). The quality of CHQ data was evaluated based on tests of items scaling assumptions, internal consistency reliability coefficients using Cronbach's alpha, data completeness rates, and within scale response consistency. Test sites included a middle school in a moderately-sized suburb in the northeast (N=278), an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) clinic in the Boston area (N=56), and a hemodialysis clinic associated with Children's Hospital in Los Angeles, CA(N=20). General linear models adjusted for age and gender were used to examine differences in scale scores across the three samples. The F-statistic provided information about the discriminant power of each of the CHQ scales. Differences in scale scores due to child gender were examined in the school-based sample using the pair-wise t-statistic. Consistently across all samples, perfect success rates were observed in tests of item internal consistency for six of the ten CHQ scales. Perfect and near perfect (92%) success rates were observed for all ten scales fielded in the school sample, eight of the nine scales in the ADHD sample, and six of the nine scales in the hemodialysis sample. Alpha coefficients were consistently above 0.80. Rates of completed items within scales ranged from 89-99%. Consistent responses within each of the CHQ scales were observed for 70% of the school sample and 84% for the two clinic samples. With a single exception (limitations in schoolwork or with friends due to behavioural problems), F-statistics were significant for all CHQ scales across the three groups. As expected, mean scores were less favourable overall for the sample receiving hemodialysis treatment. The only significant difference between boys and girls was observed for the bodily pain scale (r=-2.54, p<0.05). Results to date demonstrate that the CHQ-CF87 is a reliable and valid child-completed health assessment tool.