[The Spanish version of the German health-related quality of life questionnaire for children and adolescents: the Kindl].

OBJECTIVES

To obtain a Spanish version of the Kindl semantically and culturally equivalent to the original German version and to test its psychometric properties.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The methodology used in the adaptation process was based on the forward-backward translation method. To assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish Kindl, the pilot test of the project "Screening for and promotion of HRQL in children and adolescents: a European Public Health perspective (Kidscreen)" it was include in. A classroom was selected for each educational level (8-16 years old) from three schools in Gerona and Barcelona. The Spanish Kindl was administered twice, one week apart. Internal consistency was assessed by computing Cronbach alpha and test-retest stability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Analysis of variance was performed according to age, sex, type of school, and self-perceived health status.

RESULTS

Half of the items (12/24) required minor changes during the adaptation process. The response rate was 91 % (n = 447). Internal consistency was acceptable for most domains (alpha range = 0.40-0.88), as was test-retest stability (ICC range = 0.52-0.80). Girls and older teenagers scored worse in most domains (p < 0.01). No differences were found by type of school.

CONCLUSIONS

The Spanish version of the Kindl showed adequate reliability and validity coefficients and represents a new HRQL instrument that can be applied in pediatric clinical practice and public health.