Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji
The health and wellbeing of children in lower-income countries is the focus of much international effort, yet there has been very little direct measurement of this. Objective. The current objective was to study the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a general population of secondary school ch...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Pediatrics |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/294530 |
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| _version_ | 1850168431673868288 |
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| author | Solveig Petersen Helen Mavoa Boyd Swinburn Gade Waqa Ramneek Goundar Marjory Moodie |
| author_facet | Solveig Petersen Helen Mavoa Boyd Swinburn Gade Waqa Ramneek Goundar Marjory Moodie |
| author_sort | Solveig Petersen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The health and wellbeing of children in lower-income countries is the focus of much international effort, yet there has been very little direct measurement of this. Objective. The current objective was to study the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a general population of secondary school children in Fiji, a low middle-income country in the Pacific. Methods. Self-reported HRQoL was measured by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 in 8947 school children (aged 12–18 years) from 18 secondary schools on Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. HRQoL in Fiji was compared to that of school-aged children in 13 high- and upper middle-income countries. Results. The school children in Fiji had lower HRQoL than the children in the 13 comparison countries, with consistently lower physical, emotional, social, and school functioning and wellbeing. HRQoL was particularly low amongst girls and Indigenous Fijians. Conclusions. These findings raise concerns about the general functioning and wellbeing of school children in Fiji. The consistently low HRQoL across all core domains suggests pervasive underlying determinants. Investigation of the potential determinants in Fiji and validation of the current results in Fiji and other lower-income countries are important avenues for future research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8462e68cd5c4f4d88457cf34ea28d5b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1687-9740 1687-9759 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Pediatrics |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8462e68cd5c4f4d88457cf34ea28d5b2025-08-20T02:20:58ZengWileyInternational Journal of Pediatrics1687-97401687-97592012-01-01201210.1155/2012/294530294530Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in FijiSolveig Petersen0Helen Mavoa1Boyd Swinburn2Gade Waqa3Ramneek Goundar4Marjory Moodie5Deakin Health Economics, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Melbourne, VIC 3125, AustraliaWHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Melbourne VIC 3125, AustraliaWHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Melbourne VIC 3125, AustraliaPacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases (C-POND), Fiji School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, FijiPacific Research Centre for the Prevention of Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases (C-POND), Fiji School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Fiji National University, Suva, FijiDeakin Health Economics, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Melbourne, VIC 3125, AustraliaThe health and wellbeing of children in lower-income countries is the focus of much international effort, yet there has been very little direct measurement of this. Objective. The current objective was to study the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a general population of secondary school children in Fiji, a low middle-income country in the Pacific. Methods. Self-reported HRQoL was measured by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 in 8947 school children (aged 12–18 years) from 18 secondary schools on Viti Levu, the main island of Fiji. HRQoL in Fiji was compared to that of school-aged children in 13 high- and upper middle-income countries. Results. The school children in Fiji had lower HRQoL than the children in the 13 comparison countries, with consistently lower physical, emotional, social, and school functioning and wellbeing. HRQoL was particularly low amongst girls and Indigenous Fijians. Conclusions. These findings raise concerns about the general functioning and wellbeing of school children in Fiji. The consistently low HRQoL across all core domains suggests pervasive underlying determinants. Investigation of the potential determinants in Fiji and validation of the current results in Fiji and other lower-income countries are important avenues for future research.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/294530 |
| spellingShingle | Solveig Petersen Helen Mavoa Boyd Swinburn Gade Waqa Ramneek Goundar Marjory Moodie Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji International Journal of Pediatrics |
| title | Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji |
| title_full | Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji |
| title_fullStr | Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji |
| title_short | Health-Related Quality of Life Is Low in Secondary School Children in Fiji |
| title_sort | health related quality of life is low in secondary school children in fiji |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/294530 |
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