The child report form of the CHIP-Child Edition - Reliability and validity

Background: There is increasing recognition of the importance of obtaining children's reports of their health, but significant challenges must be overcome to do so in a systematic, population-based manner. Objective: The objective of this study was to present the initial tests of the Child Report Form of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition (CHIP-CE/CRF), a self-report health status instrument for children 6 to 11 years old. Methods: Three studies iteratively evaluated revisions of the CHIP-CE/CRF in 4 geographic locations in the United States. Children (N = 1708) whose families represent the low to middle socioeconomic strata and predominant U.S. racial/ethnic groups were involved. Results: The final CHIP-CE/CRF includes 5 domains: Satisfaction (with self and health), Comfort (emotional and physical symptoms and limitations), Resilience (positive activities that promote health), Risk Avoidance (risky behaviors that influence future health), and Achievement (of social expectations in school and with peers). The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the domains are good to excellent, with a definite age gradient such that younger children's responses are less reliable although still acceptable. Validity is supported through criterion and construct validity tests and structural analyses. Standard scores (mean, 50; standard deviation, 10) were established. Conclusions: Health status can be reliably and validly assessed directly from children 6 to 11 years old on the CHIP-CE/CRF. In combination with the CHIP-AE, self-reported health status can now be obtained from youth 6 to 18 years old using a consistent conceptual framework. This can greatly improve the precision and comparability of health assessments of youth, enhancing the validity of outcome research and longitudinal studies across childhood and adolescence.