Life Activities Questionnaire for Childhood Asthma (LAQCA)

Asthma-specific

Measure domains:  Physical, Work, Outdoor, Emotions and Emotional Behavior, Home Care, Eating and Drinking, and Miscellaneous.

Summary of development:  Creer and colleagues previously developed an adult asthma measure, upon which this measure is based (Creer et al 1992). The authors of this childhood asthma instrument considered daily activities of children that could be restricted by their asthma. Previously, children with asthma had symptoms reported by parents and the focus was on activity restriction, like missing school. This measure was developed by asking 92 children ages 5-17 open-ended questions about daily activities affected by their asthma. Parents helped younger children complete the questions. Common themes of activities affected by asthma included the following, which are domains of the LAQCA: physical, work, outdoor, emotions and emotional behavior, home care, eating and drinking, and miscellaneous.

The measure was later adapted for three age groups: 4-7, 8-11, and 12-16 and had 19 less questions for 52 items. We could not find information on the various iterations of the LAQCA. Aside from the 1992 and 1993 Creer articles, no further studies or articles of the measure were identified with a search. Another study considered using the LAQCA but decided against it because of the length of the instrument and concerns about the appropriateness of work-related questions and daily activities like “chopping wood” and “scrubbing floors” for children (Kintner 2008).