Meaning of health-related quality of life among children and adolescents in an Asian country: a focus group approach.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to evaluate the extent to which HRQoL instruments developed based on the Western notion of health is applicable to Asian children and adolescents by assessing their conceptualization of QoL. A secondary objective is to evaluate the necessity of developing age- or gender-specific HRQoL instruments.


METHODS
We explored the meaning of general and health-related QoL through focus group discussions in Singapore, a multi-ethnic Asian society. Two investigators independently analysed the data. They extracted major and sub-themes related to both general and health-related QoL. The agreement between the analyses was compared and disagreement was resolved through discussion.


RESULTS
Thirty-two subjects (children: 50.0%, female: 50.0%) participated. There were few disagreements. Meanings of general and health-related QoL could be grouped under three broad themes: (1) physical, (2) psychological and (3) social health, consistent with the current definition of HRQoL. We found that Singaporean and Western children/adolescents share a remarkably similar notion of general and health-related QoL. Compared to adolescents, children were more likely to report positive emotions, be less mindful of others' opinions and had less varied social activities.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that currently available instruments are potentially useful for Singaporean children/adolescents. We also found that age-specific HRQoL instruments are necessary.
Wee
H L
HL
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, 18 Science Drive 4, Singapore, 117543, Republic of Singapore. phalisc@nus.edu.sg
Chua
H X
HX
Li
S C
SC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012846:Singapore