Development and preliminary validation of a new screening questionnaire for identifying atopic children

Figures & data

Table 1 ChAt questionnaire items and score values

Screening questionnaire for allergic diseases in children (to be completed by parents)	Response scores
	Yes	No
1. Was your child diagnosed with an allergic disease?	1	0
If yes, please specify:
- Allergic asthma
- Allergic rhinitis
- Allergic conjunctivitis
- Hives
- Atopic dermatitis
- Food allergy (with elimination diet)
- Anaphylaxis
2. Did your child ever use drugs for an allergic disease? (e.g., antihistamines, corticosteroids, etc.)	1	0
3. Does your child often show red eyes, tearing, and itching?	1	0
4. Does your child sneeze often or does he/she have nasal itching and discharge?	1	0
5. Did your child ever complain of breathing problems? (e.g., shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezy breathing, coughing, or itchy throat)	1	0
6. Does your child often have dermatitis with itching?	1	0
7. Did your child ever suffer with severe allergic reactions or anaphylactic shock?	1	0
8. Does your child have any of the above symptoms?	1	0
If yes, please specify if:
- Seasonal: spring/summer or autumn/winter
- Throughout the year
9. Does your child have relatives who suffer or have suffered of an allergic disease?	1	0
10. Did your child ever have allergic reactions to food?
If yes, please specify:
- Asthma
- Dermatitis
- Rhinoconjunctivitis
Currently, is he/she under an elimination diet?	1	0

Abbreviation: ChAt, children atopy.

Table 2 Clinical characteristics of allergic population included in the study

Clinical characteristics	Allergic children (N=163)
Age (years)
Range	5–10
Mean±SD	7±0.9
Gender
Males	100
Females	63
Single allergic condition	74 (45%)
Multiple allergic conditions	89 (55%)
Allergic diseases diagnosis
Allergic rhinitis	97 (59.5%)
Allergic conjunctivitis	51 (31%)
Asthma	57 (35%)
Atopic dermatitis	68 (42%)
Food allergy	11 (7%)
Skin prick tests
Negative	16 (10%)
Positive	126 (77%)
Not done	21 (13%)

Figure 1 Percentage of positive responses to the ChAt questionnaire items.

Abbreviation: ChAt, children atopy.

Figure 2 Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of ChAt questionnaire scores for identification of the presence of allergic diseases.

Abbreviation: ChAt, children atopy.