TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex differences in children's health status as measured by the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL)™
T2 - cross-sectional findings from a large school-based sample in the Netherlands
AU - Hijkoop, Annelieke
AU - ten Kate, Chantal A.
AU - Madderom, Marlous J.
AU - IJsselstijn, Hanneke
AU - Reuser, Julie A.
AU - Koopman, Hendrik
AU - van Rosmalen, Joost
AU - Rietman, André B.
N1 - Funding Information:
Ko Hagoort provided editorial advice. Mapi Research Trust provided permission to use the PedsQL? (not-funded academic research project, February 26, 2015). We gratefully thank the schools that recruited participants and the parents and children who took part in our study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021/12/18
Y1 - 2021/12/18
N2 - Background: Previous research has shown that female adolescents and adults report lower health status than their male peers. Possibly, this discrepancy already develops during childhood. We collected sex-specific data with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) in a large school-based sample. Methods: The online version of the PedsQL was administered to healthy Dutch children aged 5–7 years (parent proxy-report), 8–12 years (parent proxy-report and child self-report), and 13–17 years (parent proxy-report and child self-report), recruited through regular primary and secondary schools. Sex differences were assessed using t-tests or Mann–Whitney U-tests. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and intraclass correlation coefficients served to compare parent proxy-reports with child self-reports. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess the associations of sex of the child, age, and parental educational level with PedsQL scores. Results: Eight hundred eighty-two parents and five hundred eighty one children were recruited from 15 different schools in the Netherlands. Parents of 8-to-12-year-olds reported higher scores on School Functioning for girls than for boys (mean difference [MD]: 6.56, p < 0.001). Parents of 13-to-17-year-olds reported lower scores on Physical and Emotional Functioning for girls than for boys (MDs: 2.14 and 5.79, p = 0.014 and p < 0.001, respectively). Girls aged 8–12 years reported lower scores than boys in this age group on Physical Functioning (MD: 3.09, p = 0.005). Girls aged 13–17 years reported lower scores than boys in this age group on Physical Functioning (MD: 3.67, p < 0.001), Emotional Functioning (MD: 8.11, p < 0.001), and the Total Score (MD 3.26, p = 0.004). No sex differences were found in children aged 5–7 years. Agreement between child self-reports and parent proxy-reports was poor to moderate. Conclusions: Girls generally had lower PedsQL scores than boys, both in parent proxy-reports and in child self-reports. We recommend to apply sex-specific data when assessing health status using the PedsQL.
AB - Background: Previous research has shown that female adolescents and adults report lower health status than their male peers. Possibly, this discrepancy already develops during childhood. We collected sex-specific data with the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) in a large school-based sample. Methods: The online version of the PedsQL was administered to healthy Dutch children aged 5–7 years (parent proxy-report), 8–12 years (parent proxy-report and child self-report), and 13–17 years (parent proxy-report and child self-report), recruited through regular primary and secondary schools. Sex differences were assessed using t-tests or Mann–Whitney U-tests. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and intraclass correlation coefficients served to compare parent proxy-reports with child self-reports. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to assess the associations of sex of the child, age, and parental educational level with PedsQL scores. Results: Eight hundred eighty-two parents and five hundred eighty one children were recruited from 15 different schools in the Netherlands. Parents of 8-to-12-year-olds reported higher scores on School Functioning for girls than for boys (mean difference [MD]: 6.56, p < 0.001). Parents of 13-to-17-year-olds reported lower scores on Physical and Emotional Functioning for girls than for boys (MDs: 2.14 and 5.79, p = 0.014 and p < 0.001, respectively). Girls aged 8–12 years reported lower scores than boys in this age group on Physical Functioning (MD: 3.09, p = 0.005). Girls aged 13–17 years reported lower scores than boys in this age group on Physical Functioning (MD: 3.67, p < 0.001), Emotional Functioning (MD: 8.11, p < 0.001), and the Total Score (MD 3.26, p = 0.004). No sex differences were found in children aged 5–7 years. Agreement between child self-reports and parent proxy-reports was poor to moderate. Conclusions: Girls generally had lower PedsQL scores than boys, both in parent proxy-reports and in child self-reports. We recommend to apply sex-specific data when assessing health status using the PedsQL.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85121468240&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12887-021-03059-3
DO - 10.1186/s12887-021-03059-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 34922476
AN - SCOPUS:85121468240
SN - 1471-2431
VL - 21
JO - BMC Pediatrics
JF - BMC Pediatrics
IS - 1
M1 - 580
ER -