ORIGINAL PAPER
A subjective sense of the quality of life in adolescents from the Świętokrzyskie Voivodship
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1
Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, Poland
(Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
2
College of Rehabilitation in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
3
Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, Lublin, Poland
(Department of Medical Anthropology)
4
Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
(Collegium Medicum)
Online publication date: 2020-12-16
Corresponding author
Magdalena Florek-Łuszczki
Institute of Rural Health in Lublin, Department of Medical Anthropology, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(3):415-25
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ABSTRACT
Objectives: The measurement of the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is one of the most important methods for self-assessment of health, which
makes it possible to identify irregularities in the physical, mental and social functioning. The aim of the research was to determine HRQOL using
the Health Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children and Young People (the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire) – the instrument recommended
by the World Health Organization – which makes it possible to distinguish groups of adolescents with a diversified subjective sense of the quality of
life. Material and Methods: The study involved a group of 871 adolescents, 411 boys and 460 girls, aged 13–16 years, residing in the Świętokrzyskie
Voivodship. The method of a diagnostic survey was used in the research. The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire, which is an instrument for examining
the HRQOL of adolescents, was employed in the study. The k-means clustering method was applied, which made it possible to establish 3 groups of
adolescents with a different subjective sense of the quality of life. Results: Three groups of adolescents with a diversified subjective sense of the quality
of life (high, average, low) were identified using the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire. The subjective quality of life in the majority of the respondents
was high, in particular in those living in rural areas. The surveyed boys with a high subjective quality of life showed a significantly higher self-esteem,
acceptance and peer support than the surveyed girls. Conclusions: The KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire is an accurate and sensitive tool for assessing
HRQOL. It allows identifying 3 groups of adolescents with a diversified subjective sense of the quality of life. It can form the basis for further
diagnosis of the bio-psycho-social functioning of adolescents. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2021;34(3):415–25