Health-Related Quality of Life Across Pediatric Chronic Conditions
Received 22 June 2009; received in revised form 30 September 2009; accepted 4 November 2009. published online 01 February 2010. Corrected Proof
Objective
To compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) across 8 pediatric chronic conditions, including 5 understudied populations, and examine convergence between youth self-report and parent-proxy report.
Study design
Secondary data from 589 patients and their caregivers were collected across the following conditions: obesity, eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder, inflammatory bowel disease, epilepsy, type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, post–renal transplantation, and cystic fibrosis. Youth and caregivers completed age-appropriate self-report and/or parent-proxy report generic HRQOL measures.
Results
Youth diagnosed with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder and obesity had lower HRQOL than other pediatric conditions by parent report. Caregivers reported lower HRQOL by proxy report than youth self-reported across most subscales.
Conclusions
Use of brief, easily administered, and reliable assessments of psychosocial functioning, such as HRQOL, may provide clinicians additional opportunities for intervention or services targeting improved HRQOL relative to the needs of each population.
aCenter for the Promotion of Treatment Adherence and Self-Management, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
bDivision of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
cDivision of Allergy and Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
dDivision of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
eDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH
fDepartment of Medical Humanities and Social Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL
Reprint requests: Dr Kevin A. Hommel, Center for the Promotion of Treatment Adherence and Self-Management, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, MLC 7039, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039.