Use of KIDSCREEN health-related quality of life instruments in the general population of children and adolescents - A scoping review

Purpose Subjectively assessing health related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents is increasingly important in the public health field. One valid and widely used generic HRQoL instrument is the KIDSCREEN questionnaire. The aim of this study was to map all studies using KIDSCREEN instruments in the general population of children and adolescents aged 6–18 years. Methods A scoping review was conducted. The search strategy was formulated according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Scoping Reviews guidelines. The databases Cinahl, socINDEX, Medline, Embase, APA Psychinfo, Scopus, and Eric were searched in October 2021. Results In total, 1365 papers were eligible for screening, 1031 were excluded and 334 reports were read in full. 252 reports were included. KIDSCREEN studies in the general population was predominantly conducted in Europe (n = 211). Most studies (n = 179) had a cross sectional design, while few experimental studies (n = 24) were found. The three KIDSCREEN versions comprising of 10, 27 and 52 items, were equally distributed between studies. The self-reported version (n = 225) of the KIDSCREEN instrument was more prevalent than the proxy version, while few studies discussed a cut point. Study contexts reflected international trends of public health challenges, commonly including mental- and psychosocial health, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and obesity. Conclusion KIDSCREEN is widely used in cross sectional studies assessing common public health challenges. Experimental and longitudinal assessments, possibly including relevant cut offs remain mainly unexplored and are recommended for future research.publishedVersio

Use of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in child and school health services among children aged 4 and 6 years in Southern Norway: clinical considerations

Background Parent reported mental health can be assessed by the Strengths and Difculties Questionnaire (SDQ). Currently, Norwegian norms for parent-reported SDQ do not exist, whereas Swedish, Danish, and United Kingdom (UK) norms have been published. We aimed to (1) describe parent-reported SDQ among children aged 4 and 6 years in Southern Norway, (2) evaluate empirical cutof values within the context of the Starting RightTM project in relation to the Swedish, Danish, and UK cutofs, and (3) evaluate the representativeness of the study sample with regard to parental socioeconomic status. Methods This study included parent-reported observations for 665 children (63% consent rate). Means and standard deviations were calculated for the domains of SDQ, and gender diferences were assessed. Based on the Swedish, Danish, and UK cutofs and the 80th and 90th percentile cutof values within the study, we calculated the total number of children with borderline and abnormal scores. Results Boys had higher mean total difculties (7.3 vs 5.6) and impact scores (0.3 vs 0.1) and lower prosocial scores (8.3 vs 8.8) than girls. The diferences in means were largest in the case of externalizing symptoms (5.0 vs 3.6) and hyperactivity subscore (3.2 vs 2.3). Using the UK cutof values, 28 and 25 children had borderline and abnormal total difculties scores, respectively. The corresponding numbers using the within study or Scandinavian cutof values were 84–99 and 54–79, respectively. Overall, our study sample was well representative of the target population. Conclusions Our fndings consistently indicated that girls had better SDQ scores than boys among children aged 4 and 6 years. Fewer children would be identifed as having mental health difculties using the UK cutof values than using the Scandinavian age- and gender-relevant cutof values.publishedVersio

Experiences of Norwegian child and school health nurses with the "Starting Right" child health assessment innovation: a qualitative interview study

Background: Although child health services are well established in Norway, the use of information technology for the systematic collection of evidence-based child- and proxy-reported health measures may be benefcial in the early identifcation of child development problems. The Norwegian “Starting Right™” health service innovation consists of parent- and child-reported online structured health assessments tools, including practical routines for child and school health assessments. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of child and school health nurses with the Starting Right innovation. Methods: We used a qualitative design and conducted three focus group interviews with 18 child and school health nurses from three child health centres one year after the implementation of the innovation. Results: The experiences of professionals with the Starting Right innovation were captured by three themes: (1) the digital innovation could be used to obtain a good overview of a child’s health and development; (2) interpreting the questionnaires was a challenge; and (3) implementing the new digital innovation was time-consuming. Conclusions: Overall, the child and school health nurses experienced that the Starting Right innovation was useful for providing a comprehensive overview of child development and health. The challenges related to interpreting the parents’ scores and follow-up of children, as well as providing the questionnaires in relevant foreign languages, should be addressed to allow all children and families to be reached.publishedVersio

Experiences of Norwegian child and school health nurses with the "Starting Right" child health assessment innovation: a qualitative interview study

Background: Although child health services are well established in Norway, the use of information technology for the systematic collection of evidence-based child- and proxy-reported health measures may be benefcial in the early identifcation of child development problems. The Norwegian “Starting Right™” health service innovation consists of parent- and child-reported online structured health assessments tools, including practical routines for child and school health assessments. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of child and school health nurses with the Starting Right innovation. Methods: We used a qualitative design and conducted three focus group interviews with 18 child and school health nurses from three child health centres one year after the implementation of the innovation. Results: The experiences of professionals with the Starting Right innovation were captured by three themes: (1) the digital innovation could be used to obtain a good overview of a child’s health and development; (2) interpreting the questionnaires was a challenge; and (3) implementing the new digital innovation was time-consuming. Conclusions: Overall, the child and school health nurses experienced that the Starting Right innovation was useful for providing a comprehensive overview of child development and health. The challenges related to interpreting the parents’ scores and follow-up of children, as well as providing the questionnaires in relevant foreign languages, should be addressed to allow all children and families to be reached

Experiences of Norwegian child and school health nurses with the "Starting Right" child health assessment innovation: a qualitative interview study

Background: Although child health services are well established in Norway, the use of information technology for the systematic collection of evidence-based child- and proxy-reported health measures may be benefcial in the early identifcation of child development problems. The Norwegian “Starting Right™” health service innovation consists of parent- and child-reported online structured health assessments tools, including practical routines for child and school health assessments. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of child and school health nurses with the Starting Right innovation. Methods: We used a qualitative design and conducted three focus group interviews with 18 child and school health nurses from three child health centres one year after the implementation of the innovation. Results: The experiences of professionals with the Starting Right innovation were captured by three themes: (1) the digital innovation could be used to obtain a good overview of a child’s health and development; (2) interpreting the questionnaires was a challenge; and (3) implementing the new digital innovation was time-consuming. Conclusions: Overall, the child and school health nurses experienced that the Starting Right innovation was useful for providing a comprehensive overview of child development and health. The challenges related to interpreting the parents’ scores and follow-up of children, as well as providing the questionnaires in relevant foreign languages, should be addressed to allow all children and families to be reached