Validation of the P aediatric F ood A llergy Q uality of L ife Q uestionnaire ( PFA ‐ QL )

Background The P aediatric F ood A llergy Q uality of L ife Q uestionnaire ( PFA ‐ QL ) was the first tool to be developed for assessing health‐related quality of life ( Q o L ) in children with food allergy. It has been used in a number of published studies, but has not been validated. Objective The aim of the current study was to validate child ( PFA ‐ QL ) and parent–proxy ( PFA ‐ QL ‐ PF ) versions of the scale in a specialist allergy clinic and in parents of children with food allergy. Methods For the clinic sample, a generic Q o L scale ( P eds QL ) and the PFA ‐ QL were completed by 103 children (age 6–16 yrs) with peanut or tree nut allergy; test–retest reliability of the PFA ‐ QL was tested in 50 stable patients. For the non‐clinical sample, 756 parents of food allergic children completed the PFA ‐ QL ‐ PF , the C hild H ealth Q uestionnaire ( CHQ ‐ PF 50), F ood A llergy Q uality of L ife P arental B urden S cale ( FAQL ‐ PB ) and a F ood A llergy I mpact M easure. Results The PFA ‐ QL and PFA ‐ QL ‐ PF had good internal consistency (α's of 0.77–0.82), and there was moderate‐to‐good agreement between the generic‐ and disease‐specific questionnaires. The PFA ‐ QL was stable over time in the clinic sample, and in both samples, girls were reported to have poorer Q o L than boys. Conclusions The PFA ‐ QL and PFA ‐ QL ‐ PF are reliable and valid scales for use in both clinical and non‐clinical populations. Unlike other available tools, they were developed and validated in the UK and thus provide a culture‐specific choice for research, clinical trials and clinical practice in the UK . Validation in other countries is now needed.