Allergy Asthma Respir Dis AARD Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease 2288-0402 2288-0410 The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease; The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology 10.4168/aard.2016.4.5.369 Original Article Validation of "quality-of-life questionnaire in Korean children with allergic rhinitis" in middle school students Kang Ha Young 1 Moon Seung Hyun 1 Jang Hae Ji 2 Lim Dae Hyun 1 2 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7054-8552 Kim Jeong Hee 1 2 Department of Pediatrics, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea. Environmental Health Center for Allergic Rhinitis, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Korea. Correspondence to: Jeong Hee Kim. Department of Pediatrics, Inha University Hospital, Inha University School of Medicine, 27 Inhang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Korea. Tel: +82-32-890-2843, Fax: +82-32-890-2844, kimjhmd@inha.ac.kr 09 2016 30 09 2016 4 5 369 373 05 07 2016 03 08 2016 03 08 2016 © 2016 The Korean Academy of Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Disease; The Korean Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2016 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Purpose

The quality of life questionnaire in Korean children with allergic rhinitis (QoL-KCAR) was developed to assess the quality of life in Korean children aged 6–12 years old with allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to validate the QoL-KCAR in Korean middle school students with allergic rhinitis.

 Methods

A survey with questionnaire and skin prick test was performed on 277 middle school students. The students were classified into 3 groups: allergic-rhinitis (AR), non-allergic rhinitis (non-AR), and controls. AR was defined who had nasal symptoms within 12 months and positive response to skin test. Non-AR group was composed of students with nasal symptoms but had negative response to skin test. The rest who had no symptoms of rhinitis and negative response to skin test were classed as control group. QoL-KCAR has 10 questions with 5-point scales for response options.

 Results

There were significant differences in the answer scores among the 3 groups (P<0.05). Total answer score is 20.9±10.2, 17.3±8.8, 4.4±5.6 in the AR, non-AR group, and control groups, respectively. It showed significant differences in all items between the AR and control groups, and 4 questions between the AR and non-AR groups. There were significant differences in total score and each score of 8 questions between before and after education in AR group.

 Conclusion

QoL-KCAR questionnaire can be useful for assessing quality-of-life in the Korean students aged 12 to 15 years old with allergic rhinitis as well as children aged 6 to 12 years old.

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Item AR (n=55) Non AR (n=49) Control (n=173) P-value
Non AR vs. control AR vs. non-AR AR vs. control
1 2.07 ± 1.25 1.84 ± 1.18 0.54 ± 0.85 < 0.0001 0.3249 < 0.0001
2 2.15 ± 1.28 1.82 ± 1.24 0.51 ± 0.93 < 0.0001 0.1869 < 0.0001
3 2.24 ± 1.32 1.63 ± 1.20 0.43 ± 0.87 < 0.0001 0.0163 < 0.0001
4 2.02 ± 1.47 1.37 ± 1.20 0.28 ± 0.64 < 0.0001 0.0148 < 0.0001
5 1.38 ± 1.53 0.84 ± 1.03 0.20 ± 0.56 < 0.0001 0.0341 < 0.0001
6 2.18 ± 1.17 2.18 ± 1.29 0.74 ± 0.95 < 0.0001 0.9939 < 0.0001
7 2.29 ± 1.17 2.14 ± 1.21 0.67 ± 1.02 < 0.0001 0.5273 < 0.0001
8 1.87 ± 1.40 1.27 ± 1.34 0.46 ± 0.85 0.0002 0.0258 < 0.0001
9 2.13 ± 1.38 1.71 ± 1.19 0.59 ± 0.96 < 0.0001 0.1066 < 0.0001
10 2.58 ± 1.15 2.51 ± 1.26 0 ± 0 < 0.0001 0.7625 < 0.0001
Sum 20.90 ± 10.24 17.31 ± 8.83 4.42 ± 5.61 - - -

Values are presented as mean±standard deviation.

QoL-KCAR, quality of life questionnaire in Korean children with allergic rhinitis; AR, allergic rhinitis.

 Least squares means in all groups
Score before education Least squares mean after education
AR Non-AR Control P-value
15 9.95 9.47 5.83 < 0.0001
25 17.76 16.10 9.90 < 0.0001
40 29.47 26.03 16.02 < 0.0001

AR, allergic rhinitis.

P-value: differences of least squares means for each group.

 Mean score of QoL-KCAR before and after education in AR group
Item Before education After education P-value
1 2.07 ± 1.25 1.72 ± 1.17 0.1167
2 2.15 ± 1.28 1.52 ± 1.26 0.0099
3 2.24 ± 1.32 1.43 ± 1.29 0.0013
4 2.02 ± 1.47 1.32 ± 1.44 0.0120
5 1.38 ± 1.53 0.65 ± 1.04 0.0045
6 2.18 ± 1.17 1.73 ± 1.30 0.0565
7 2.29 ± 1.17 1.53 ± 1.39 0.0023
8 1.87 ± 1.40 1.11 ± 1.23 0.0030
9 2.13 ± 1.38 1.60 ± 1.38 0.0474
10 2.58 ± 1.15 2.00 ± 1.37 0.0178
Sum 20.90 ± 10.24 14.56 ± 9.16 0.0009

Values are presented as mean±standard deviation.

QoL-KCAR, quality of life questionnaire in Korean children with allergic rhinitis; AR, allergic rhinitis.