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Asthma-like symptoms in the first year of life and health-related quality of life at age 12 months: the Generation R study

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Abstract

Purpose

This study compares HRQOL among subgroups of infants with asthma-like symptoms to a subgroup without such symptoms and examines independent associations between asthma-like symptoms during the first year of life and HRQOL at age 12 months.

Methods

Our study sample included 5,000 infants participating in the Generation R study. Their parents completed structured questionnaires to obtain information on asthma-like symptoms, HRQOL, infants’, and maternal characteristics. Asthma-like symptoms were defined according to the number of positive answers to 12 items on lower respiratory symptoms. HRQOL was measured using the ITQOL. Higher scores indicated better HRQOL.

Results

Infants with asthma-like symptoms had significantly lower HRQOL scores for all ITQOL scales. Among the subgroup with severe symptoms (4% of the infants), relevant deficits in HRQOL were observed for most ITQOL scales, particularly for General Health, Bodily Pain, and Family Activities (effect sizes ≥ 0.8). In multivariate linear models, asthma-like symptoms were independently associated with 6 ITQOL scales. The population attributable risks were especially high for Family Activities, General Health, Parental Emotional, and Parental Time.

Conclusions

Asthma-like symptoms during the first year of life are associated with impaired quality of life at age 12 months. At population level, asthma-like symptoms were associated with lower HRQOL, regardless of symptom severity.

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Abbreviations

HRQOL:

Health-related quality of life

ITQOL:

Infant-toddler quality of life

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Acknowledgments

The Generation R Study is conducted by the Erasmus MC in close collaboration with the Erasmus University Rotterdam, School of Law and Faculty of Social Sciences, the Municipal Health Service Rotterdam area, Rotterdam, the Rotterdam Homecare Foundation, Rotterdam, and the Stichting Trombosedienst & Artsenlaboratorium Rijnmond (STAR), Rotterdam. We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of general practitioners, hospitals, midwives, and pharmacies in Rotterdam. The first phase of the Generation R Study is made possible by financial support from the Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). The present study was supported by an additional grant from ZonMw; Prevention Research Program Grant # 2100.0128.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Ashna D. Mohangoo & Vincent W. V. Jaddoe

  2. Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Ashna D. Mohangoo, Harry J. de Koning, Johan P. Mackenbach & Hein Raat

  3. Department of Child Health, TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research, Leiden, the Netherlands

    Ashna D. Mohangoo

  4. Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Johan C. de Jongste

  5. Health Act CHQ Inc., Boston, MA, USA

    Jeanne M. Landgraf

  6. Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Johannes C. van der Wouden

  7. Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Vincent W. V. Jaddoe & Henriette A. Moll

  8. Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC—University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Vincent W. V. Jaddoe & Albert Hofman

Authors
  1. Ashna D. Mohangoo
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  2. Harry J. de Koning
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  3. Johan C. de Jongste
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  4. Jeanne M. Landgraf
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  5. Johannes C. van der Wouden
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  6. Vincent W. V. Jaddoe
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  7. Albert Hofman
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  8. Henriette A. Moll
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  9. Johan P. Mackenbach
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  10. Hein Raat
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ashna D. Mohangoo.

Electronic supplementary material

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Supplementary material 1 (PDF 33 kb)

Appendices

Appendix 1

Appendix 1 Selected questions from the International Studies on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood
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Appendix 2

Appendix 2 ITQOL scales, number of items per scale and score interpretation
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Mohangoo, A.D., de Koning, H.J., de Jongste, J.C. et al. Asthma-like symptoms in the first year of life and health-related quality of life at age 12 months: the Generation R study. Qual Life Res 21, 545–554 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-9957-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-9957-9

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