Validation of "quality-of-life questionnaire in Korean children with allergic rhinitis" in middle school students

Purpose: The quality of life questionnaire in Korean children with allergic rhinitis (QoL-KCAR) was developed to assess the quality of life in Korean children aged 6-12 years old with allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to validate the QoL-KCAR in Korean middle school students with allergic rhinitis. Methods: A survey with questionnaire and skin prick test was performed on 277 middle school students. The students were classified into 3 groups: allergic-rhinitis (AR), non-allergic rhinitis (non-AR), and controls. AR was defined who had nasal symptoms within 12 months and positive response to skin test. Non-AR group was composed of students with nasal symptoms but had negative response to skin test. The rest who had no symptoms of rhinitis and negative response to skin test were classed as control group. QoL-KCAR has 10 questions with 5-point scales for response options. Results: There were significant differences in the answer scores among the 3 groups (P<0.05). Total answer score is 20.9 +/- 10.2, 17.3 +/- 8.8, 4.4 +/- 5.6 in the AR, non-AR group, and control groups, respectively. It showed significant differences in all items between the AR and control groups, and 4 questions between the AR and non-AR groups. There were significant differences in total score and each score of 8 questions between before and after education in AR group. Conclusion: QoL-KCAR questionnaire can be useful for assessing quality-of-life in the Korean students aged 12 to 15 years old with allergic rhinitis as well as children aged 6 to 12 years old.