Article,

Longitudinal use of the Child Health Questionnaire in childhood cerebral palsy.

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Dev Med Child Neurol, 48 (5): 343--347 (May 2006)
DOI: 10.1017/S0012162206000752

Abstract

This study sought to describe change and stability in health-related quality of life (HRQL) over time in a cross-section of children with cerebral palsy (CP) using the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) through repeated surveys of the children's parents/caregivers. A total of 177 children with CP (98 males, 79 females); age range 3 to 18 years (mean age 8 y 6 mo, SD 4 y 2 mo; Gross Motor Function Classification System: Level I 40\%, Level II 14\%, Level III 14\%, Level IV 16\%, and Level V 17\%) were enrolled as a convenience sample from the outpatient clinics at a tertiary-care children's hospital. The main outcome measure was HRQL as determined by the CHQ--Parent Form 50. Parents reported reduced HRQL for their children with CP relative to norms for the CHQ. Although Role--Physical functioning (reflecting how physical impairment interferes with daily activity) declined with time, all other subscales of the CHQ were stable over the course of 1 year. CHQ scores were not measurably affected by common medical interventions. Children with CP have lower CHQ scores than other children that are, on average, stable over the course of 1 year.

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