[Effect of sociodemographic characteristics on health status and quality of life in schoolchildren and adolescents in Yugoslavia].
BACKGROUND
Quality of life, as a term in medical literature, appeared 3 decades ago. During the 90s, first studies on quality of life among children and youth were presented. Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) was recognized as the most constructive and clear to use.


METHODS
The study was performed in a random sample of children and adolescents (No = 600) and their parents. The sample was stratified by age, sex, and socioeconomic status of parents. The measurement model was a Yugoslav adaptation of CHQ-CF87 and CHQ-PF50.


RESULTS
Quality of life is a complex phenomenon, impacted by the person's experience, beliefs, expectations and perceptions. Study results confirmed better scores on almost all scales for boys, younger subjects and children with better socioeconomic status. A study performed in USA using CHQ-CF87, showed almost invert results considering gender. Our experience indicates statistically significant differences on 5 scales in favor of boys. All scales showed statistical difference in regard to age, except physical functioning and role (social--physical), especially low scores for older ages. Regarding the socioeconomic status, statistical differences were found at the following scales: mental health scale, family activity scale and family cohesion, with low scores for the group. In general, children health was reported to be worse for less educated, not working, non-married, separated or divorced parents.


CONCLUSIONS
Variations in health and quality of life components showed expected association with sociodemographic factors in both versions of questionnaires. Boys had better scores, as well as children of younger age and better social status.
Kvrgić
S
S
Institut za zastitu zdravlja Novi Sad.
Nićiforović-Surković
O
O
Ukropina
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015022:Yugoslavia
Uticaj sociodemografskih karakteristika na zdravlje i kvalitet zivota skolske dece i omladine u Jugoslaviji.