title: A cross-cultural study on perceived health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated whether culture can affect self- and proxy-reports of perceived diabetes-specific health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes when taking into account glycemic control, gender and age.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 416 patients aged between 8 and 18 years--84 (Greece), 135 (Hungary) and 197 (Kuwait)--and their parents completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 3.0. Diabetes Module.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gender and age did not have any effect on perceived diabetes-specific health-related quality of life. Significant differences were detected among countries in self- and proxy-reports of diabetes-specific health-related quality of life when controlling for glycemic control. More specifically, Greek patients with type 1 diabetes and their parents reported significantly worse disease-specific health-related quality of life than their peers from Kuwait and Hungary. Moreover, culture affected the level of agreement between self- and proxy-reports with parents from Kuwait underestimating their children's diabetes-specific health-related quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of culture on self- and proxy-reports of diabetes-specific health-related quality of life warrants further investigation, since it might suggest the need for differential psychosocial treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The International Faculty of the University of Sheffield, City College, Department of Psychology, 24 Proxenou Koromila Street, 546 22 Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: kalyva@city.academic.gr.
authors.forename: Efrosini
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kalyva
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, POBox 24923 Safat, P Code 13110, State of Kuwait.
authors.forename: Majedah
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdul-Rasoul
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Pécs, H- 7624 Pécs, Ifjúság Street 6, Hungary.
authors.forename: Dániel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kehl
authors.affiliation: Velkey László Center for Child Health, H-3526 Miskolc, Szentpéteri kapu 72-76, Hungary; Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Care, University of Miskolc, H-3515 Miskolc-Egyetemváros, Miskolc, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barkai
authors.affiliation: Institute of Basic Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Care, University of Miskolc, H-3515 Miskolc-Egyetemváros, Miskolc, Hungary.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lukács
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000208:ethnology; D007730:Kuwait / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Children; Cross-cultural; Health-related quality of life; Type 1 diabetes mellitus