Gender differences in health-related quality of life among Estonian adolescents: a 6-month follow-up

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the differences between boys and girls in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its domains of physical health, emotional-, social-, and school-related functioning over a six-month period. Six hundred and forty seven Estonian secondary school students participated in the study, of whom 401 (177 boys and 224 girls; age 13.60±0.63 years) filled in the HRQoL questionnaire (PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales) on three occasions: baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. To analyse the changes in HRQoL among boys and girls over a six-month period, repeated measures ANOVA was performed. The results revealed that boys scored significantly higher compared to girls on emotional functioning at all three time points over a six-month period. As for total score of HRQoL, and physical and psychosocial health, boys scored significantly higher than girls only on the first and second measurements. No significant changes in total score of HRQoL as well as its domains were followed in boys or girls between baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-ups. The lower perceptions of total score of HRQoL as well as its domains of physical health, emotional functioning, and psychosocial health among girls in Estonia over a six month period support the findings of previous longitudinal studies.

Health-related quality of life in a sample of Australian adolescents: gender and age comparison

“…The majority of participants reported high levels of HRQoL; however, a small percentage of participants reported concerning scores indicative of poor HRQoL. Consistent with other international studies [9,10,[17][18][19][20], gender differences, while controlling for age, were found in this Australian sample on three of the five dimensions of HRQoL: physical well-being, psychological well-being, and autonomy and parental relations: with females reporting lower levels of HRQoL. Despite these gender differences being statistically significant, only one of the three was in the moderate effect size range, and likely to be perceived as clinically meaningful [21].…”

Relationship of pupils' quality of life and academic achievement with the employment status of their mothers

“…The results of various studies showed that physical and psychological health and QOL of female adolescents were more unfavorable than those of male adolescents [ 8 , 11 , 12 ], which is consistent with the results of our study.…”

“…Studies on healthy children are mainly necessary because the QOL of children and adolescents is directly related to their QOL in adulthood [ 7 ]. The results of Viira et al’s study on Estonian adolescents to determine the difference in the QOL between boys and girls in physical, mental, and school-related activities showed that the total score of adolescent females’ QOL was lower than adolescent males’ [ 8 ]. Several factors affect the QOL and the academic achievement of adolescents, including religion, social relationships, social participation, and mother-child attachment.…”

Disparities in health‐related quality of life among healthy adolescents in a developing country – the impact of gender, ethnicity, socio‐economic status and weight status

“…; Gkoltsiou et al . ; Viira & Koka ). The onset of puberty along with maturation, hormonal fluctuations and body image insecurities teenage girls experience may exacerbate their emotional well‐being (Sanborn & Hayward ).…”