The Korean version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) and the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ)

We report herein the results of the cross-cultural adaptation and validation into the Korean language of the parent's version of two health related quality of life instruments. The Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) is a disease specific health instrument that measures functional ability in daily living activities in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). The Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) is a generic health instrument designed to capture the physical and psychosocial well-being of children independently from the underlying disease. A total of 221 subjects were enrolled: 87 patients with JIA (18% systemic onset, 37% polyarticular onset, 12% extended oligoarticular subtype, and 33% persistent oligoarticular subtype) and 134 healthy children. The CHAQ clinically discriminated between healthy subjects and the four JIA subtypes of patients, with the JIA patients having a higher degree of disability, pain, and a lower overall well-being when compared to their healthy peers. Also the CHQ clinically discriminated between healthy subjects and JIA patients, with the JIA patients having a lower physical and psychosocial well-being when compared to their healthy peers. In conclusion the Korean version of the CHAQ-CHQ is a reliable, and valid tool for the functional, physical and psychosocial assessment of children with JIA.