Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life Among Primary School Children in Ahwaz, Iran

Abstract

It has been claimed that health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessments should provide information about capabilities and well-being and their relevance to the individual concerned. No attempt has been made before to measure children's HRQL in Iran. The purpose of this study was to describe reports of parents in a random sample of 3,800 Iranian primary school children (ages 6–12 years old) on domains of the TNO AZL Child Quality of Life (TACQOL) parent form, in the winter of 2001. It was a cross-sectional design, and 56 items taken from seven domains of TACQOL were employed. The parents' questionnaire included demographic questions and seven eight-item scales: physical complaints, motor functioning, autonomy, cognitive (such as concentration, or understanding what others say) and social functioning, and positive and negative emotions. All scales were scored from 56 to 280 (8–40 for each scale), with higher scores indicating better HRQL. Scale reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. The mean score for all domains was 35.3 (ranged from 32.5 for positive emotions to 37.7 for motor functioning). Significant differences were found between the HRQL of children and mothers' job and child's birth order (p<;0.01). However, no significant differences were found by child's sex, child's age, and mothers' educational attainment. There are some limitations and difficulties for Iranian children's HRQL. Children's quality-of-life measurements should be considered by researchers in less economically developed countries as a routine part of health and medical visits. Health policy-makers may also consider HRQL measurements in their national data capture system to recognize children's well-being status.