Methodological issues raised by preference-based approaches to measuring the health status of children.

This paper identifies and discusses a number of methodological issues that require consideration when applying preference-based approaches to the measurement of the health status of children. It is argued that the decision about which dimensions of health status to incorporate into health state descriptions or classifications should depend, in part, upon whether the measure will be used to inform resource allocation within or across age groups. In addition, the paper identifies and discusses a number of methodological issues surrounding the appropriate respondents for descriptions and valuations of health status in different contexts; potential sources of bias in the description and valuation processes; and the psychometric integrity of alternative measurement approaches. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.