title: Children in rural China enjoyed a significant increase in quality of life from 2009 to 2011.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about the long-term change in quality of life (QoL) among children in rural China. This study longitudinally examined changes and predictors of QoL among children in one rural county between 2009 and 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  We interviewed 816 children from seven to 16 years of age in 2009 and 2011 using a range of QoL tools. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between follow-up QoL and socio-demographic, family environment and psychosocial factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall QoL scores improved significantly from 71.1 ± 14.6 to 72.8 ± 16.3 (p = 0.005). QoL was positively related to annual family income (β = 0.14, p < 0.001) and baseline QoL (β = 0.21, p < 0.001) and negatively related to older age (β = -0.19, p < 0.001), being female (β = -0.08, p = 0.011), being left in the care of family members by working parents (β = -0.09, p = 0.004), negative coping styles (β = -0.10, p = 0.005) and depression (β = -0.11, p = 0.006).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality of life significantly improved among children in rural China over a two-year period from 2009 to 2011. It was positively related to annual family income and baseline QoL and negatively related to older age, being female, being left in the care of family members by working parents, negative coping styles and depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Le
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Xiu
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Yi-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Jing
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Hui-Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Ye-Huan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Anxiety; Depression; Left behind children; Quality of life