Methods: A survey was conducted online with 116 parents of children with combined-type ADHD, ages 7-10. Participants were recruited by advertisements to the ADHD support group CHADD (Children and Adults with ADHD) and in online ADHD magazines. The survey, completed by parents, included the HUI3 and the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) as a measure of ADHD severity, as well as demographic, treatment and school information.

Results: The HUI3 results were negatively and significantly correlated with the SNAP-IV ADHD severity scale (Spearman correlation coefficient R=-.458). More than half of the children in this study were reported to have cognitive impairment. The HUI scores for three subgroups based on ADHD severity were significantly different, with more severe ADHD having significantly lower utilities. Children whose ADHD was not clinically significant at the time of HUI3 assessment (SNAP-IV <1) had a mean HUI3 score (parent proxy) of 0.89. Mean HUI3 utility score for all children whose SNAP-IV scores showed clinically significant ADHD (SNAP-IV >1) was 0.67. Within this group, children with less severe ADHD symptoms (SNAP-IV>1<2) had a mean HUI3 score of 0.69, and those with the most severe ADHD scores (SNAP-IV >2) had a mean HUI3 score of 0.56. Differences between severity levels were due primarily to differences in the cognition, emotion, and pain attributes of the HUI3.

Conclusions: ADHD causes significant impairment to the health-related quality of life of children ages 7-10. The HUI3 can be used to measure preferences for childhood ADHD by using parents as proxies, and the health state utilities determined in this study will be useful in modeling the cost-effectiveness of ADHD treatments.