Confirmatory factor analysis on the health domains of the child perceptions questionnaire

Abstract

Background: The Child Perceptions Questionnaire for children aged 11-14 years (CPQ11-14) with 37 items (full questionnaire) and short forms with 16 and 8 items were developed in Toronto as measures of the oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) for children. Objectives: To confirm the four hypothesized health domains (oral symptoms, functional limitations, emotional well-being and social well-being) of CPQ11-14 in measuring OHRQoL for children in Hong Kong. Methods: The instrument was administered to 542 children aged 12 years. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the health domains of the full and short forms of CPQ 11-14. Results: The usual goodness-of-fit measurements indicated that the model using all 37 items fitted the data below the acceptable level, while the models with 16 items and 8 items fitted the data well. Conclusion: The hypothesized factor structure with the four health domains of the short forms of CPQ11-14 has been confirmed by CFA. The results in the current study indicated that the items used in the short forms contain sufficient information in measuring OHRQoL for children in Hong Kong. © 2008 Blackwell Munksgaard.