Premium
The self‐reported quality of life of Lithuanian children with asthma was comparable to Western populations
Author(s) -
Taminskiene Vaida,
Vaitkaitiene Egle,
Valiulis Algirdas,
Turner Steve,
Hadjipanayis Adamos,
Stukas Rimantas,
Valiulis Arunas
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.14140
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , quality of life (healthcare) , lithuanian , pediatrics , socioeconomic status , outpatient clinic , demography , environmental health , population , philosophy , linguistics , nursing , sociology
Aim Quality of life (QoL) has been widely researched among children with asthma in Western countries, but there is a lack of data from eastern Europe, where the prevalence is relatively low, but hospital admission rates are higher. We evaluated the overall level and major determinants of QoL in Lithuanian children aged 5–11 years with asthma. Methods This study was carried out in six asthma outpatient clinics in the two largest cities of Lithuania from January 2015 to July 2016. The children's QoL was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Peds QL ) asthma module, which was completed by the child and one parent. Results We collected questionnaires from 226 children (68% boys) with a mean age of eight (±2) years: 65% had mild asthma, 31% had moderate asthma and 4% had severe asthma. One in 10 had been hospitalised in the preceding 6 months. The mean self‐reported QoL score was 74 and the parent‐reported QoL score was 73. QoL was associated with asthma severity and control, shortness of breath and the child's general health, but not socioeconomic factors. Conclusion The overall level and major determinants of QoL in children with asthma in Lithuania were comparable with Western populations.