Objective: To determine the feasibility, reliability and validity of the childhood health assessment questionnaire--modified for Arab children (CHAQ--MAC).
Methods: One hundred and eighteen modified questionnaires were completed by 75 juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) patients and their parents attending the Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over an 18 month period (January 1996 to May 1997).
Results: The modified questionnaire was self-administered by 82% of the parents. The median time to complete the questionnaire was 10 minutes. The main difficulty in comprehension was discomfort dimension (visual analogue scale [VAS] and morning stiffness). Test retest reliability was good (r=0.79). Validity of the CHAQ-MAC was confirmed by the strong correlation between disability index and VAS score (r=0.58). Functional activities that caused the most difficulties were cross sitting, assuming the prayer position, and using the Arabic style toilet.
Conclusion: The modified CHAQ is a suitable assessment tool for Arab children suffering from JRA.