DESIGN AND RELIABILITY OF A QUESTIONNAIRE OR MEASURING SEVERITY OF INFANT COLIC

Abstract

Introduction: currently, infant colic is an important health problem in children. However, there is a lack of valid and reliable tools. Therefore, our objective is the design and reliability analysis of Infant Colic Severity Questionnaire. Material and method: a pilot study with 40 children with colic for the design and validation of infant colic se-verity questionnaire. The internal consistency was evaluated by Cronbach´s Alpha coefficient, a descriptive analysis of the results obtained in the two measurements of our questionnaire was conducted (test-retest), its reliability was determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement and the minimal detectable change was evaluated. Results: a questionnaire of 25 items called Infant Colic Severity Questionnaire (ICSQ)has been designed collecting information on suction, belching, gas, pooping, sleep, crying and regurgitation. The value of Cronbach´s Alpha coefficient was 0.724, being an adequate internal consistency. Test-retest values showed no significant differences between measurements. The value of ICC was excellent. The value of minimum detectable change was 2.85 % and standard error of measurement was 5.90 %, being acceptable values. Discussion: the questionnaire designed in this research has obtained good results in all the tests on reliability analysis performed, being the questionnaire on which more and better tests of reliability have been carried out comparing it with other existing instruments, such as the Infant Colic Scale (ICS) and the Parent Journal. The ICSQ allows a diverse analysis of infant colic and is projected as a tool that can be used for diagnosis. Conclusions: the Infant Colic Severity Questionnaire is reliable for the assessment and diagnosis of infant colic.