Anthony Michaile Gizelle, Hoddinott Graeme, Baloyi Dzunisani Patience, Hesseling Anneke Catharina, van der Zalm Marieke Margreet
Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Australia.
PLoS One. 2025 May 5;20(5):e0322493. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0322493. eCollection 2025.
Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young children affected by respiratory illnesses remains understudied, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the burden of these diseases is disproportionately high. Existing HRQoL measures, including both generic and respiratory disease-specific measures, have been reviewed to identify key components that can guide the development of a novel HRQoL tool for young children (0-5-years) with respiratory illnesses. The study aimed to identify candidate items from existing HRQoL measures to inform the development of a new HRQoL tool for young children (0-5 years-old) with respiratory illnesses in a LMIC setting.
A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, EBSCOhost, and PsycArticles databases Keywords included variations of the following terms 'quality of life', 'health-related quality of life', 'wellbeing', 'questionnaire', 'instrument', 'measure', 'children', 'toddler', 'paediatric', 'child*', 'develop' or 'validation'. The search was limited to English-language articles published between January 2000 and November 2023. Deductive thematic analysis was used to organise the measures and synthesise cross-cutting components.
Out of 1823 articles, data were extracted from 72 articles reporting on 41 measures. Of these, 20 were generic, and 21 were specific to respiratory diseases. The measures' key dimensions included physical and emotional health, social support, and school functioning. However, few measures, targeted children 0-5-years, and none incorporated child-specific methods for assessing HRQoL. Existing tools varied widely in their domains and definitions, often lacking consistency and not adequately considering the developmental milestones. Furthermore, most tools were developed in high-income settings (HIC), with limited adaption to the socio-economic burden and disease burden contexts in LMICs.
There is an urgent need for a comprehensive HRQoL measure tailored to young children with respiratory illnesses, particularly one designed for use in LMICs. Such a tool should address developmental milestones, cultural sensitivity, and the unique socio-economic challenges faced in these settings.
受呼吸道疾病影响的幼儿的健康相关生活质量（HRQoL）仍未得到充分研究，尤其是在低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs），这些疾病的负担在这些国家尤为沉重。现有的HRQoL测量方法，包括通用测量方法和呼吸道疾病特异性测量方法，已被审查以确定可指导开发针对患有呼吸道疾病的幼儿（0至5岁）的新型HRQoL工具的关键组成部分。该研究旨在从现有的HRQoL测量方法中识别候选项目，以为在LMIC环境中为患有呼吸道疾病的幼儿（0至5岁）开发新的HRQoL工具提供信息。
使用PubMed、EBSCOhost和PsycArticles数据库进行了一项范围审查。关键词包括以下术语的变体：“生活质量”、“健康相关生活质量”、“幸福感”、“问卷”、“工具”、“测量方法”、“儿童”、“幼儿”、“儿科”、“儿童*”、“开发”或“验证”。搜索仅限于2000年1月至2023年11月发表的英文文章。采用演绎主题分析来组织测量方法并综合交叉领域的组成部分。
在1823篇文章中，从72篇报告41种测量方法的文章中提取了数据。其中，20种是通用的，21种是针对呼吸道疾病的。这些测量方法的关键维度包括身体和情绪健康、社会支持和学校功能。然而，针对0至5岁儿童的测量方法很少，且没有一种纳入评估HRQoL的儿童特定方法。现有工具在其领域和定义方面差异很大，往往缺乏一致性，且没有充分考虑发育里程碑。此外，大多数工具是在高收入环境（HIC）中开发的，对LMICs的社会经济负担和疾病负担背景的适应性有限。
迫切需要一种针对患有呼吸道疾病的幼儿的全面HRQoL测量方法，尤其是一种专为在LMICs中使用而设计的方法。这样的工具应考虑发育里程碑、文化敏感性以及这些环境中面临的独特社会经济挑战。
