Validation of the Finnish ISAAC questionnaire on asthma against anti-asthmatic medication reimbursement database in 5-year-old children
Year: 2010
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Valid identification of childhood asthma at the population level for epidemiological purposes remains a challenge. We aimed at validating the Finnish version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire based on parental-reported childhood asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ISAAC questionnaire has been validated against anti-asthmatic medication reimbursement data of the Finnish Social Insurance Institution, being the gold standard, among 2236 5-year-old consecutively born children (1996-2004) carrying human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-conferred susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. Two combined questionnaire questions (any wheezing symptom or use of asthma medication during the preceding 12 months plus ever asthma; any wheezing symptom or use of asthma medication during the preceding 12 months plus ever doctor-diagnosed asthma) were validated against valid reimbursement with purchase of at least one anti-asthmatic medication during a 12-month period. The validity of the questionnaire was estimated as the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and Youden's index. RESULTS: The sensitivity 0.98 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.92-0.99]; specificity 0.98 (95% CI = 0.97-0.98); negative predictive value 1.00 (95% CI = 1.00-1.00); and Youden's index 0.96 (95% CI = 0.96-0.96) were the same for each of the two sets of combined questions. The positive predictive value for the first combined question was 0.63 (95% CI = 0.55-0.71), while it was 0.64 (95% CI = 0.57-0.72) for the second combined question. CONCLUSION: The Finnish ISAAC questionnaire was highly valid and is an acceptable instrument for the survey of the prevalence of parental-reported childhood asthma for epidemiological purposes.
Source: The Clinical Respiratory Journal
Institutions: Tampere University, University of Tampere, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Tampere University Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, University of Eastern Finland, Social Insurance Institution, University of Oulu, University of Turku
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2171950818