title: Health-related quality of life in children with and without chronic conditions: A multicenter study.
abstract: Chronic conditions (CCs) in the early stages of life may have an impact on various dimensions of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children.
  
  
  
  To compare HRQoL in children with confirmed CCs, reported CCs, and without CC.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 in the context of a larger research study carried out at schools in Córdoba and Bahía Blanca, and at Hospital Italiano of Buenos Aires and Hospital Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan at Buenos Aires. The presence of a chronic condition was established by medical diagnosis at the hospital or as reported by schoolchildren's caregivers. Eight-to-twelve year-old children completed the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire on HRQoL, a pubertal development scale, and a family financial resource scale. The association between CCs and HRQoL adjusted by sex, age, pubertal development, maternal education level, and socioeconomic level was estimated.
  
  
  
  Six hundred and seventy children/ caregiver dyads participated; 13.3% (n= 89) had confirmed CCs, 14.5% (n= 97) were schoolchildren with reported CCs, and the rest corresponded to healthy schoolchildren. Their average age was 10.2 years old (standard deviation= 1.01); 54.8% were girls. Having a confirmed CC was associated with a higher frequency of low physical wellbeing (odds ratio |-OR-|: 2.61; 95% confidence interval |-95% CI-|:1.43-4.76), while the presence of a reported CC was associated with a low score in psychological well-being (OR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.06-3.63), self-perception (OR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.28-3.87), and parent relations (OR: 2.04; 95% CI: 1.21-3.44).
  
  
  
  Children with confirmed CCs showed a higher frequency of physical discomfort, and those with reported CCs showed discomfort in psychosocial areas compared to children without CCs.
authors: Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios Sanitarios, Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba.
authors: Carolina
authors: C
authors: Rivera
authors: Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios Sanitarios, Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba.
authors: Verónica
authors: V
authors: Mamondi
authors: Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios Sanitarios, Escuela de Salud Pública, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba.
authors: Julieta
authors: J
authors: Lavin Fueyo
authors: Hospital Militar Bahía Blanca, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca.
authors: Ezequiel F
authors: EF
authors: Jouglard
authors: Hospital Nacional de Pediatría Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
authors: Lourdes
authors: L
authors: Pogany
authors: Servicio de Gastroenterología Infantil, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
authors: María C
authors: MC
authors: Sánchez
authors: Hospital Nacional de Pediatría Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Prina
authors: Hospital Nacional de Pediatría Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires.
authors: Mariana
authors: M
authors: Roizen
authors: Hospital Militar Bahía Blanca, Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca.
authors: María Eugenia
authors: ME
authors: Esandi
authors: Escuela de Salud Pública, Centro de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios Sanitarios, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba-CONICET, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors: Silvina
authors: S
authors: Berra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life