title: Health-related quality of life in migrant preschool children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Minority groups have a lower health-related quality of life (HRQOL), but there is little information if this finding also applies to children. In this study, we compared HRQOL between young children with and without migrant parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two cross-sectional studies of culturally diverse preschool populations in Switzerland: Ballabeina (40 preschools, 258 girls and 232 boys aged 4 to 6 years) and Youp'là Bouge (58 child care centers, 453 girls and 522 boys aged 2 to 4 years). Most children were born in Switzerland (Ballabeina: 92.3%; Youp'là Bouge: 93.7%). Number of migrant parents was considered as the main exposure. HRQOL was measured using the 23-item Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children of migrant parents had a significantly lower HRQOL total score (mean ± SD, Ballabeina: 84.2 ± 9.1; 82.7 ± 9.6 and 81.7 ± 11.7 for children with none, one or two migrant parents, respectively; Youp'là Bouge: 83.8 ± 8.6; 82.9 ± 9.5; 80.7 ± 11.7, all p < 0.05). Similar results were found in Ballabeina and Youp'là Bouge for social, school and physical functioning (all p < 0.05), but not for emotional functioning. The differences in HRQOL measures were partly mediated by children's place of birth, parental education, paternal occupational level, children's BMI, screen time and physical activity in one study (Ballabeina), but not in the other (Youp'là Bouge).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In preschoolers, children of migrant parents have lower HRQOL than children of non-migrant parents. These differences are only partly mediated by other sociocultural characteristics or lifestyle behavior. These families may need assistance to prevent further inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Service of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. Jardena.Puder@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Jardena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puder
authors.forename: Ana Margarida
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonvin
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bodenman
authors.forename: Simone
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Munsch
authors.forename: Susi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kriemler
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marques-Vidal
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D014171:Transients and Migrants