Association between QTA30 scores and headache-related assessments in children.

BACKGROUND

The QTA30 is a simple questionnaire used to assess physical and mental health in children. Headache-related disability and impact are commonly evaluated using the Pediatric Migraine Disability Assessment (PedMIDAS) and the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6). This study examined the relationship between physical and mental health assessed by the QTA30 and headache-related assessments in pediatric patients.

METHOD: This study included patients who visited Hikita Pediatric Clinic from April 2023 to March 2025 and completed the QTA30, PedMIDAS, and HIT-6. Associations between assessment scores were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

A total of 68 patients were included, with a median age of 13 years (range: 6-17); 43 were female. The median total QTA30 score was 37 (range: 4-78), the median PedMIDAS score was 15.5 days (range: 0-148), and the median HIT-6 score was 62.5 (range: 26-78). The total QTA30 score showed a moderate positive correlation with PedMIDAS (r = 0.4, p = 0.0007). In contrast, no significant correlation was observed between the total QTA30 score and HIT-6 (r = 0.11, p = 0.36). The physical symptoms subscale of the QTA30 demonstrated a strong positive correlation with PedMIDAS (r = 0.51, p < 0.0001), while the anxiety subscale was also positively correlated with PedMIDAS (r = 0.31, p = 0.0091).

CONCLUSIONS

Physical and mental health measures assessed by the QTA30 were associated with PedMIDAS, which reflects headache-related disability and duration, but not with HIT-6, which primarily reflects headache intensity.