Development and Validation of a Questionnaire Measuring Treatment Burden in Pediatric Asthma
Abstract
Background: Although treatment burden significantly affects the management of pediatric asthma, no specific instrument exists to measure it in this population. Objective: To develop and validate a questionnaire measuring treatment burden in pediatric asthma from both children's and parents' perspectives. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 children with asthma (aged 8-12 years) and their parents to identify relevant components of treatment burden. Items were refined through a Delphi process with pediatric pulmonologists. The questionnaire was then validated in 202 parent-child dyads across eight teaching hospitals. We assessed psychometric properties, including factorial validity, internal consistency, construct validity, and test-retest reliability. Results: The final questionnaire was composed of seven items for children (Cronbach α = 0.78) and 13 items for parents (Cronbach α = 0.86). Both versions demonstrated strong construct validity, with significant correlations with quality of life measures (r = -0.52 for children and r = -0.53 for parents) and global impression of treatment burden (r = +0.66 for children and r = +0.77 for parents). Test-retest reliability was acceptable for both children (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.72) and parents (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.80). Higher treatment burden scores were associated with being female (for both children and caregivers), having multiple scheduled visits, and poor asthma control. Parent and child scores showed moderate correlation (r = 0.33; P < .01), highlighting the importance of capturing both perspectives. Conclusion: This validated questionnaire provides a reliable tool for measuring treatment burden in pediatric asthma, enabling clinicians to better understand and address the impact of asthma management on children and their families.
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BibTeX
@article{schmartz2026development,
title = {{Development and Validation of a Questionnaire Measuring Treatment Burden in Pediatric Asthma}},
author = {Sophie Schmartz and Pierrick Cros and Camille Cisterne and Ania Carsin and Thomas Perrin and Stéphanie Wanin and Alexandra Masson and Céline Ménétrey and Charlotte Roy and Clément Poirault and Rosy-Varte Jacobs and Rola Abou Taam and Lisa Giovannini-Chami and David Drummond},
journal = {Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jaip.2025.12.021},
url = {https://inserm.hal.science/inserm-05791477v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Development and Validation of a Questionnaire Measuring Treatment Burden in Pediatric Asthma
AU - Sophie Schmartz
AU - Pierrick Cros
AU - Camille Cisterne
AU - Ania Carsin
AU - Thomas Perrin
AU - Stéphanie Wanin
AU - Alexandra Masson
AU - Céline Ménétrey
AU - Charlotte Roy
AU - Clément Poirault
AU - Rosy-Varte Jacobs
AU - Rola Abou Taam
AU - Lisa Giovannini-Chami
AU - David Drummond
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice
DO - 10.1016/j.jaip.2025.12.021
UR - https://inserm.hal.science/inserm-05791477v1
AB - Background: Although treatment burden significantly affects the management of pediatric asthma, no specific instrument exists to measure it in this population. Objective: To develop and validate a questionnaire measuring treatment burden in pediatric asthma from both children's and parents' perspectives. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 children with asthma (aged 8-12 years) and their parents to identify relevant components of treatment burden. Items were refined through a Delphi process with pediatric pulmonologists. The questionnaire was then validated in 202 parent-child dyads across eight teaching hospitals. We assessed psychometric properties, including factorial validity, internal consistency, construct validity, and test-retest reliability. Results: The final questionnaire was composed of seven items for children (Cronbach α = 0.78) and 13 items for parents (Cronbach α = 0.86). Both versions demonstrated strong construct validity, with significant correlations with quality of life measures (r = -0.52 for children and r = -0.53 for parents) and global impression of treatment burden (r = +0.66 for children and r = +0.77 for parents). Test-retest reliability was acceptable for both children (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.72) and parents (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.80). Higher treatment burden scores were associated with being female (for both children and caregivers), having multiple scheduled visits, and poor asthma control. Parent and child scores showed moderate correlation (r = 0.33; P < .01), highlighting the importance of capturing both perspectives. Conclusion: This validated questionnaire provides a reliable tool for measuring treatment burden in pediatric asthma, enabling clinicians to better understand and address the impact of asthma management on children and their families.
SN - 2213-2198
SN - 2213-2201
ER -