Sci Rep. 2021 Sep 10;11(1):18076. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-97661-1.

Simona Gatti ¹, Giada Del Baldo ², Giulia Catassi ³, Andrea Faragalli ⁴, Marina Aloi ³, Matteo Bramuzzo ⁵, Giulia D'Arcangelo ³, Enrico Felici ⁶, Maurizio Fuoti ⁷, Sara Lega ⁵, Roberto Panceri ⁸, Maria Pastore ⁹, Francesca Penagini ¹⁰, Rosaria Gesuita ⁴, Carlo Catassi ²

Author information

• ¹Department of Pediatrics, Polytechnic University of Marche, G. Salesi Children's Hospital, Via Corridoni 11, 60123, Ancona, Italy. simona.gatti@hotmail.it.
• ²Department of Pediatrics, Polytechnic University of Marche, G. Salesi Children's Hospital, Via Corridoni 11, 60123, Ancona, Italy.
• ³Department of Maternal and Child Health, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Liver Unit, Umberto I Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 105, 00161, Rome, Italy.
• ⁴Centre of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Tronto 10/a, 60126, Ancona, Italy.
• ⁵Digestive Endoscopy and Nutrition Unit, Institute of Child and Maternal Health, IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo", Via dell'Istria 65, 34137, Trieste, Italy.
• ⁶Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Unit "U.Bosio" Center for Pediatric Digestive Diseases, The Children Hospital, Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Spalto Marengo 46, 15121, Alessandria, Italy.
• ⁷Gastroenterology and GI Endoscopy, University Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, 25123, Brescia, Italy.
• ⁸Clinica Pediatrica, Università Milano Bicocca, Fondazione MBBM, Ospedale San Gerardo, Via Cadore, 20900, Monza, Italy.
• ⁹IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza-Pediatria, Viale Padre Pio, 7d, 71013, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
• ¹⁰Clinica Pediatrica, Ospedale dei Bambini "V. Buzzi", Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Lodovico Castelvetro 32, 20154, Milano, Italy.

Abstract

Improving the quality of life (QoL) is crucial in the management of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to (1) Validate the IMPACT-III questionnaire in Italian IBD children; (2) explore factors associated to QoL in pediatric IBD. Internal consistency, concurrent validity, discriminant validity and reproducibility of the Italian version of the IMPACT-III questionnaire was measured in IBD children/adolescents in 8 centers. Associations between patient and disease characteristics and the IMPACT-III domains were analyzed through quantile regression analysis. The IMPACT-III questionnaire, collected in 282 children with IBD (median age: 14.8 years; IQR 12.4-16.4) showed a median total score of 76 (IQR 67-83). Female gender, active disease and age were negatively associated with the total IMPACT-III score. Specifically, female gender was negatively associated with the Bowel/Systemic Symptoms, Emotional and Treatment domain scores, while disease activity was significantly associated with Bowel Symptoms and Treatment/Interventions reported QoL. The IMPACT- III showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.87, 95% CI 0.85-0.89) and reproducibility (Concordance Correlation Coefficient = 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.74). In Italian children with IBD active disease, female gender and adolescence are associated to a worse QoL, indicating the need of more attention in this subgroup of young patients. IMPACT-III questionnaire is a reliable instrument to measure QoL in Italian children.