The Norwegian 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 validatio n into the Norwegian language of the parents version of two health related quality of lift, instruments. The Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) is a disease specific health instrument that measures functional ab ility in daily living activities in children with juvenile idiopathic arthr itis (JIA). The Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) is a generic health instru ment designed to capture the physical and psychosocial well-being of childr en independently from the underlying disease. The Norwegian CHAQ and CHQ ha ve already been published and therefore they were fully revalidated in this study. A total of 148 subjects were enrolled: 88 patients with JIA (6% sys temic onset. 45% polyarticular onset, 10% extended oligoarticular subtype, and 39% persistent oligoarticular subtype) and 60 healthy children. The CHA Q clinically discriminated between patients with various JIA subtypes, with the systemic, polyarticular and extended oligoarticular subtypes having a higher degree of disability, pain, and a lower overall well-being when comp ared to those with persistent oligoarticular arthritis. Also the CHQ clinic ally discriminated between healthy subjects and JIA patients, with the syst emic onset, polyarticular onset and extended oligoarticular subtypes having a lower physical and psychosocial well-being when compared to their health y peers. In conclusion the Norwegian version of the CHAQ-CHQ is a reliable, and vali d tool for the functional, physical and psychosocial assessment Of children with JIA.