Objectives/hypothesis: The Tonsil and Adenoid Health Status Instrument (TAHSI) is a disease-specific questionnaire, intended for completion by parents, for assessing quality of life related to tonsil and adenoid disease or its treatment in children with throat disorders. The aim of this study was to validate the Spanish adaptation of the TAHSI, thus allowing comparison across studies and international multicenter projects.
Study design: Multicenter prospective instrument validation study.
Methods: Guidelines for the cross-cultural adaptation process from the original English-language scale into a Spanish-language version were followed. The psychometric properties (reproducibility, reliability, validity, responsiveness) of the Spanish version of the TAHSI (s-TAHSI) were assessed in 51 consecutive children undergoing adeno/tonsillectomy (both before and 6 months after surgery) and a separate cohort of 50 unaffected children of comparable age range.
Results: Test-retest reliability (γ = 0.8) and internal consistency reliability (α = 0.95) were adequate. The s-TAHSI demonstrated satisfactory content validity (r > 0.40). The instrument showed excellent between-groups discrimination (P < .0001) and high responsiveness to change (effect size = 2.09).
Conclusions: Psychometric testing of the s-TAHSI yielded satisfactory results, thus allowing assessment of the subjective severity of throat disorders in children.
Level of evidence: 2c. Laryngoscope, 128:1469-1475, 2018.
Keywords: Throat disorders; adenotonsillectomy; pediatric tonsillectomy; quality of life; questionnaire validation.
© 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.