Health related quality of life in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the health related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with cerebral palsy in comparison to healthy children according to their personal and their parents’ report. The study group included 65 children with cerebral palsy and one of their parents, their mean age expressed as median 8.9 years. Control group was formed randomly and consisted of 80 subjects (medain age 9.5 years). The PedsQLTM questionnaire, which includes a child’s report for a particular chronological age and a parent’s report, was used for HRQoL assessment in children with cerebral palsy. The study showed the HRQoL in children with cerebral palsy to be siginifi cantly lower compared to their healthy peers in the investigated segments according to both the respondents’ and their parents’ reports. Subjective assessment of the child’s HRQoL should be provided by all professionals who deal with the children and the information obtained should be used in designing individual programs in education and health care. The information on the HRQoL obtained from the parents should be used in clinical practice and in preparing programs for improvement of psychosocial health.