Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Adolescents
Author Information
Author(s): Reinfjell Trude, Diseth Trond H, Veenstra Marijke, Vikan Arne
Primary Institution: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Hypothesis
The study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian translation of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) 4.0 generic core scale in healthy young adolescents.
Conclusion
The Norwegian PedsQL is a valid and reliable measurement for assessing health-related quality of life in adolescents aged 13 to 15 years.
Supporting Evidence
- All self-report and proxy-report scales showed satisfactory reliability with Cronbach's alpha between 0.77 and 0.88.
- Factor analysis results were comparable to the original version of PedsQL, except for the Physical Health scale.
- Girls reported lower health-related quality of life than boys on the emotional functioning subscale.
Takeaway
This study shows that a questionnaire can help understand how young teens feel about their health and life, and it works well in Norwegian.
Methodology
A cross-sectional study involving self-reports from 425 adolescents and proxy-reports from 237 caregivers, assessing reliability and validity through Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to differences in perception between adolescents and their parents regarding health-related quality of life.
Limitations
The study did not report test-retest reliability and had a restricted age range, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
The sample consisted of 425 adolescents aged 13 to 15 years, with 56% girls and 44% boys.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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