scholarly journals Health-related quality of life in young Syrian refugees recently resettled in Norway

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 688-698
Author(s):  
Cecilie R. Dangmann ◽  
Øivind Solberg ◽  
Anne K.M. Steffenak ◽  
Sevald Høye ◽  
Per N. Andersen

Aims: Millions have fled from the civil unrest in Syria, and half of these are children and youth. Although they are a population with an elevated risk of health problems due to adverse pre-migratory and post-migratory experiences, few studies have explored their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This is considered a fundamental construct in public health and might provide complementary descriptions of their health and well-being after resettling in a new country. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 160 Syrian youth aged 13–24 years. Using KIDSCREEN-27, the results for five dimensions of HRQoL was compared to population norm data. Demographic factors and war-related adverse events were used to predict HRQoL in hierarchical regression. Results: For most participants, the overall HRQoL was good, but it was lower in the dimensions for friends, physical well-being and psychological well-being compared to population norms. Scores in the dimensions for autonomy/parental relation and the school environment were high and were the main contributors to a positive HRQoL. Age and number of reported stressful events (SE) had the greatest impact on HRQoL, but the final regression model only accounted for 21% of the total variance. Conclusions: HRQoL is a relevant and non-invasive measure for refugee youth. Contributors to lower scores in physical and psychological well-being should be explored further and indicate the potential for future interventions focussing on general psychological well-being and networks, regardless of the SE that have been experienced. These interventions could potentially be based in schools or in families in order to benefit from these being seemingly safe environments for the majority of the group.

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Wunsch ◽  
Claudio R. Nigg ◽  
Susanne Weyland ◽  
Darko Jekauc ◽  
Claudia Niessner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA) has beneficial effects on health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), which is a protective factor of illness and mortality. The purpose of this examination was to investigate if self-reported and device-based measures of PA were related to HRQoL in adolescents. Methods Participants (N = 1565; 54.3% female; Mage = 14.37 years, SDage = 1.99) were recruited from 167 sample points across Germany. Adolescents self-reported their PA, supplemented by a 1-week examination of device-based PA using accelerometry. Additionally, they completed the multidimensional KIDSCREEN-27 to assess HRQoL. Results Results showed that self-reported PA was correlated with overall HRQoL, Physical Well-Being, Psychological Well-Being, Social Support & Peers, and School Environment, whereas device-based PA was only correlated with Physical as well as Psychological Well-Being. Further, self-reported PA significantly predicted all facets of HRQoL except for Autonomy and Parent Relations, whereas device-based PA solely heightened the amount of explained variance in the Physical Well-Being subscale. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the importance of self-reported PA as it is related to almost all facets of HRQoL. Both measures of PA are not congruent in their relationship with HRQoL and thus implications have to be carefully considered. Future studies should investigate the direct effect of PA on HRQoL and health in a longitudinal approach to account for the causality of effects.


2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (28) ◽  
pp. 4664-4670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Krouse ◽  
Lisa J. Herrinton ◽  
Marcia Grant ◽  
Christopher S. Wendel ◽  
Sylvan B. Green ◽  
...  

Purpose Intestinal stomas can pose significant challenges for long-term (≥ 5 years) rectal cancer (RC) survivors. Specifying common challenges and sociodemographic or clinical differences will further the development of tailored interventions to improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patients and Methods This was a matched cross-sectional study of long-term RC survivors conducted in three Kaiser Permanente regions. The mailed questionnaire included the modified City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy (mCOH-QOL-Ostomy) and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, version 2 (SF-36v2). Groups surveyed were permanent ostomates (cases) and those who did not require an ostomy (controls). RC survivors were matched on sex, age, and time since diagnosis. Comparisons between groups used regression analysis with adjustment for age, comorbidity score, history of radiation therapy, income, and work status. Results Response rate was 54% (491 of 909). Cases and controls had similar demographic characteristics. On the basis of the mCOH-QOL-Ostomy, both male and female cases had significantly worse social well-being compared with controls, while only female cases reported significantly worse overall HRQOL and psychological well-being. For younger females (< age 75 years), ostomy had a greater impact on physical well-being compared with older females. Based on the SF-36v2, statistically significant and meaningful differences between female cases and controls were observed for seven of the eight scales and on the physical and mental component summary scores. Conclusion Men and women report a different profile of challenges, suggesting the need for targeted or sex-specific interventions to improve HRQOL in this population. This may include focus on physical HRQOL for female ostomy survivors younger than age 75.


2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 1948-1956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phyllis N. Butow ◽  
Lynley Aldridge ◽  
Melanie L. Bell ◽  
Ming Sze ◽  
Maurice Eisenbruch ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Angelhoff ◽  
Anna Lena Sundell

Abstract Purpose Considering the reports of increasing sleep problems in children, affecting health and well-being in young children and their families, we found it important to gain more knowledge about sleep and its correlation to health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in young, healthy children. The aim with this study was to describe sleep quality, sleep duration, and HRQoL in healthy 3–10-year-old children and to test associations between children’s sleep and HRQoL. Methods Parents of 160 children (average age: 6.9 years, SD ±2.2) participated in the study. Sleep onset problems (SOP), sleep maintenance problems (SMP), and sleep duration were measured by the Pediatric Insomnia Severity Index (PISI). KIDSCREEN-27 was used to measure HRQoL in five dimensions: physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy and parent relation, social support and peers, and school environment. Results The average score was 2.2 for SOP (SD +/-2.2) and 1.3 for SMP (SD +/-1.6). Almost all children (98%) slept between 8 and 13 hours per night. Younger children had statistically significantly more sleep problems than older children. Correlations were found between SOP and poor psychological well-being ( p < 0.05, ρ = - 0.16), and between SMP and poor psychological well-being ( p < 0.05, ρ = - 0.21), poor school environment ( p < 0.01, ρ = - 0.29), and poor social support and peers ( p < 0.05, ρ = - 0.19). Conclusion Children’s sleep associates with psychosocial well-being, school functioning and relations to peers, and need to be acknowledged in child health care settings and schools.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 92-93
Author(s):  
Ghimire Ghimire ◽  
Devendra Singh ◽  
Sara McLaughlin ◽  
Dhirendra Nath ◽  
Hannah McCarren ◽  
...  

Abstract Traditionally, adult children have served as primary caretakers and providers for older Nepalese adults. However, out-migration of adult children for employment and other opportunities is increasing. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in older Nepalese adults in general and in the context of adult children’s migration is poorly understood. This study aims to assess HRQOL of older Nepali adults and its relationship with adult children’s migration. We used existing cross-sectional survey data on 260 older adults from the Krishnapur municipality, which has witnessed a high rate of adult migration. HRQOL was assessed using the SF-12, which provides a physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) health component. Scores for PCS and MCS range from 0-100; a higher score indicates better HRQOL. Simple and multiple linear regression were used to assess correlates of HRQOL. Participants had suboptimal HRQOL [mean (±SD): PCS =40.4±9.2 and MCS=45.2±7.7]. After adjusting for covariates, adult children’s migration was associated with lower MCS scores (β: -2.33, 95%CI: -4.21, -0.44). Individuals with more than one child had higher MCS scores (β: 2.14, 95%CI: 0.19, 4.09). Females (β: -3.64, 95%CI: -7.21, -0.06) and those with a history of unemployment (β: -6.36, 95%CI: -10.57, -2.15) had lower PCS scores than their respective counterparts. The presence of one or more chronic conditions was associated with significantly lower PCS and MCS. Our findings suggest that out-migration of adult children may negatively effect HRQOL among older Nepali adults, specifically their psychological well-being. Additional research is needed to investigate potential moderating factors that may serve as important buffers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Dangmann ◽  
P A Andersen ◽  
Ø Fjeld-Solberg ◽  
A K Steffenak ◽  
S Høye

Abstract Aim Millions have fled from the Civil unrest in Syria and half of these are children and youth. Although they are a population with elevated risk for health problems due to adverse pre-migratory and post-migratory experiences, few studies have explored their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). This is considered a fundamental construct in public health and might provide complementary descriptions of their health and wellbeing after resettling in a new country. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 160 Syrian youth aged 13-24 years recently resettled in Norway, was carried out in 23 schools. Using KIDSCREEN-27, results from five dimensions of HRQoL (physical and psychological wellbeing, parental relations, school environment and friends) was compared to norm populations and analysed with associated sociodemographic factors and war related adverse events. Results Preliminary results indicate that for most participants the overall HRQoL was good, but lower in the dimensions for physical and psychological wellbeing and friends than in norm populations. Satisfaction with parental relations and the school environment was high and the main contributors to a positive HRQoL in the participants. Age and number of reported Stressful Events had the greatest impact of all the the included variables, but all correlations were small to moderate and therefore accounted for little of the total variance. Conclusions The findings suggest that HRQoL is a relevant and non-invasive measure for refugee youth. Interventions focussing on general psychological wellbeing and networks could be beneficial for the group, and need to be explored. These interventions could potentially be based in schools or in family work, to benefit from these being seemingly safe environments for the majority of the group. Key messages Health Related Quality of life in young Syrian refugees was good, but lower in the dimensions for friends and psychological wellbeing than for norm populations. Satisfaction with parental relations and school environment was high among the Syrian youth and the main areas that contribute to a positive Health Related Quality of Life.


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