Inter-rater Reliability, Construct Validity, and Feasibility of the
Modified “Which Health Approaches and Treatments Are You Using?”
(WHAT) Questionnaires for Assessing the Use of Complementary Health
Approaches in Pediatric Oncology
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to test the inter-rater
reliability, construct validity, and feasibility of the modified “Which
Health Approaches and Treatments Are You Using?” (WHAT) questionnaires
in pediatric oncology. Methods: A sample of parent-child dyads
was invited to complete self- and proxy-report modified WHAT, Pediatric
Quality of Life Inventory, demographics, a diary of child recent use of
CHA, and a questionnaire assessing aspects of feasibility. Parents were
also asked to complete a satisfaction of children’s use of CHA survey.
Results: Twenty-four dyads completed the study. The mean
weighted kappa showed strong inter-rater reliability (k=0.77, SE=0.056);
and strong agreements between the modified WHAT and the diary
(self-report [k=0.806, SE=0.046], proxy-report [k=0.894,
SE=0.057]). Significant relationships were found only between recent
and non-recent CHA users in relation to easy access to CHA (self-report
[p=0.02], proxy-report [p<0.001]). The mean scores of
the feasibility scale (out of 7.0) for the self- and proxy-report were
5.64 (SD=0.23) and 5.81 (SD=0.22), respectively, indicating the
feasibility of the modified WHAT. Conclusions: The findings of
this study provide initial evidence of the reliability and validity of
the modified WHAT questionnaires and their feasibility in assessing
child CHA use and initiating clinical discussions about CHA with
children and their parents. Further research is needed to test the
theoretical relationships and to further explore the validity and
reliability of the modified WHAT.