Living with Asthma Questionnaire

Name of Questionnaire

Living with Asthma Questionnaire (LWAQ)

Description

Condition-specific HRQL questionnaire designed to evaluate patient's subjective experiences with asthma, including both functional limitation and distress.

Developer

ME Hyland, S Fennis, SH Irvine

Address

Dr. Michael E. Hyland
Department of Psychology
University of Plymouth
Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK

E-mail

mhyland@plymouth.ac.uk

Cost & availability

Contact M.E. Hyland for permission to use the instrument.

Administration

Self; developed for use as interview-administered questionnaire as well ¹

Time to complete

15 to 20 minutes

Number of items

68

Domains & categories

11 domains; 2 construct subscales

Name of categories/domains

Construct subscales: functional limitation and distress

Domains: social/leisure, sport, sleep, holidays, work and other activities, colds, mobility, effects on others, medication use, sex, dysphoric states and attitudes

Scaling of items

3-point Likert: untrue of me, slightly untrue of me, very untrue of me plus a not applicable option

Scoring

Subscale and total scale scores calculated by adding values of each negative item to the values of each positive item reversed, divided by the number of items to yield mean scale scores.

Reliability

Validity

Reported¹ . Based on patients "freely elicited responses" concerning quality of life¹ derived through focus groups² ; factor analysis¹ ; relationship between LQAQ and sociodemographics¹ and SIP² have been examined; symptoms & clinical efficacy⁷

Responsiveness

Reported^{2, 4, 5, 7, 8}

Research use

Reported, including clinical trials^{2, 3, 4, 5, 8}

Clinical use

Intended⁶

Language

Original: English (UK)

Translations: English (Australia), 2 reported but not specified²

Alternate versions

ms-LWAQ (shortened version)

Ried LD, Nau DP, Grainger-Rousseau TJ. Evaluation of patient's Health-Related Quality of Life using a modified and shortened version of the Living With Asthma Questionnaire (ms-LWAQ) and the medical outcomes study, Short-Form 36 (SF-36). Qual Life Res. 1999;8:491-9.

References

1. Hyland ME, Finnis S, Irvine SH. A scale for assessing quality of life in adult asthma sufferers. J Psychom Res 1991;1:99-110.
2. Palmer JB, Hyland ME. Salmeterol in clinical practice: comparator and safety studies, quality of life studies. Eur Respir Rev 1991;4:301-303.
3. Hyland ME, Kenyon CAP, Jacobs PA. Sensitivity of quality of life domains and constructs to longitudinal change in a clinical trial comparing salmeterol with placebo in asthmatics. Qual Life Res 1994;3:121-6.
4. Hyland ME, Crocker GR. Validation of an asthma quality of life diary in a clinical trial. Thorax 1995;50:724-730.
5. Rutten-van Molken, van Doorslaer EKA, Jansen MCC et al. Costs and effects of inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995;151:975-82.
6. Hyland ME. The Living with Asthma Questionnaire. Respir Med 1991;85(Supp B):13-16.
7. Rutten-van Mölken M, Custers F, Van Doorslaer E, Jansen C, Heurman L, Maesen F, Smeets J, Bommer A, Raaijmakers J. Comparison of performance of four instruments in evaluating the effects of salmeterol on asthma quality of life. Eur Respir J 1995;8:888-898.
8. Jones K, Mullee M, Middleton M, Chapman E, Holgate S, Brithis Thoracic Society Research Committee. Peak flow based asthma self-management: a randomised controlled study in general practice. Thorax 1995;50:851-857.

Date of information

April 2000