Development of a measure of knowledge and attitudes about obstructive sleep apnea in children (OSAKA-KIDS)

Background: Primary care physicians play an important role in screening for childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) that, if untreated, can result in serious complications. Objective: To describe the development of the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Knowledge and Attitudes in Children (OSAKA-KIDS) questionnaire for use in measuring physicians' knowledge and attitudes about childhood OSAS and its treatment. Design: Cross-sectional survey to pilot administration of the 23-item OSAKA-KIDS questionnaire, mailed to 1195 community- and academic-based physicians in Louisville, Ky; Philadelphia, Pa; and St Louis, Mo. Main Outcome Measures: Analysis of variance measured differences in knowledge and attitudes between academic- and community-based physicians and between pediatricians and family practitioners. Using stepwise multiple linear regression, we analyzed the associations between various predictors (including specialty, practice setting, and years since medical school graduation) and each item of knowledge and attitudes. All tests were 2-tailed. Results: Questionnaires for 497 respondents (44% female; mean [SD] age, 45.7 [10.5] years; and mean [SD] number of years since medical school graduation, 18.7 [11.0] years) were analyzed. The mean (SD) knowledge score (percentage of 18 possible) was 69.6% (14.6%). In regression analyses, more knowledge was associated with more positive attitudes overall and more recent graduation from medical school; having a more positive attitude was associated with having completed a pediatrics residency and more knowledge about OSAS. Conclusions: Deficits in basic knowledge about childhood OSAS were observed regardless of physician practice setting and specialty training. More education focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of childhood OSAS and identifying children at risk for OSAS is recommended.