Despite the significant prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children, the diagnosis and treatment of this condition is still challenging due to the difficulties inherent to objectively assessing the disease's severity.
Objective: To verify whether the Portuguese version of the Obstructive Sleep Apnea-18 (OSA-18) survey is as valid as its original version in English.
Method: Prospective study. The OSA-18 was translated into Portuguese, culturally adapted, and tested in the Portuguese population. The caregivers of 51 children (aged from 2 to 12 years) diagnosed with OSAS answered the OSA-18-pv survey. Statistical analysis was used to assess the psychometric properties of the survey.
Results: Reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach's alpha of 0.821, confirming the survey's consistency. Converging validity was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, which revealed a statistically significant correlation between individual data and total results. The survey can be easily and quickly answered (7.26 min). The outcomes of the OSA-18-pv showed that quality of life was poor in 14 children with OSAS (28%), moderate in 22 (43%), and high in 15 (29%).
Conclusion: the OSA-18-pv is a valid tool and can be used to assess the impact on the quality of life of Portuguese children with OSAS.