Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey for Kids: Validation of an Illness-specific Quality of Life Instrument

Background Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are the most common illness seen in the pediatric ambulatory setting. Research in this area is hampered by the lack of validated ARI measures. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey for Kids (WURSS-K), a 15-item instrument, which measures illness-specific symptoms and impact on quality of life during an ARI. Methods WURSS-K was administered to two populations: (1) children aged 4–10 years recruited from the local community and (2) 9- and 10-year-old children from an ongoing study, the Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma. Results Overall, 163 children with 249 ARI episodes completed WURSS-K. WURSS-K was analyzed using multiple models to evaluate reliability and validity for a two-factor structure (symptom and functionality) and a single global structure. These models provided evidence of reliability and validity with omega of 0.72 and 0.91 for symptoms and functionality along with the single structure with omega of 0.90. Conclusions WURSS-K shows strong psychometric properties for validity and reliability as either a single global factor or a two-factor structure. This instrument will be useful in both therapeutic trials and observational studies among children with ARI in ambulatory settings. Impact WURSS-K is a valid and reliable illness-specific quality of life instrument that evaluates the impacts of ARIs on children. WURSS-K is designed for children 4–10 years of age, for whom there is a lack of validated assessment tools. This now validated instrument will be useful for future observational studies and therapeutic trials among children with ARIs in ambulatory settings.