Psychometric properties of CVFQ7-BR-toxo to evaluate vision-related quality of life in children with congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil.

PURPOSE: The high prevalence and severity of congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil, with several affected individuals progressing to low vision, emphasize the importance of evaluating their quality of life. In this study, the Children's Visual Function Questionnaire (CVFQ) was adapted to the sociocultural context of Brazilian children, and its psychometric properties were investigated for evaluating the vision-related quality of life of these individuals.

METHODS

This was a nested cross-sectional epidemiological study that prospectively monitored a cohort of 142 preschool children at a single referral university hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. All children underwent complete ophthalmological examination, including visual acuity testing and binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. Questionnaires were applied to their parents and caregivers to evaluate quality of life perception, as well as socioeconomic status of their families. Psychometric properties of the quality of life scale were evalua-ted by multivariate statistical analyses.

RESULTS

Adaptation to the Brazilian version of CVFQ-7 resulted in CVFQ-BR-toxo, a questionnaire for evaluating the perception of parents/caregivers about the vision-related quality of life of preschool children with congenital toxoplasmosis. The following six subscales were identified based on description, variability structure, and interpretation/grouping of items: general health, visual acuity, visual performance/functional vision, personal and social behavior, impact on family, and treatment. Children with low vision related to congenital toxoplasmosis had significantly lower scores for the following subscales: visual acuity (p=0.004), visual performance/functional vision (p=0.008), impact on family (p=0.001), and overall health (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION

Psychometric properties were appropriate concerning the validity of the quality of life construct. CVFQ-BR-toxo could demonstrate the impact of vision impairment on families of children with congenital toxoplasmosis.