Health-related quality of life and function after paediatric injuries in India: A longitudinal study

Jagnoor Jagnoor, Shankar Prinja, Aliki Christou, Jannah Baker, Belinda Gabbe, Rebecca Ivers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Paediatric injuries can lead to long-term functional impairment and reduced health-related quality of life, and are a growing public health issue in India. To date, however, the burden has been poorly characterized. This study assessed the impact of non-fatal injuries on health-related quality of life in a prospective cohort study of 373 children admitted to three hospitals in Chandigarh and Haryana states in India. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) and King’s Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury (KOSCHI) were administered at baseline (pre-injury) and at 1, 2, 4, and 12 months post-injury by telephone interview. Follow-up at all-time points was completed for 277 (77%) of all living participants. Less than one percent reported ongoing disability at 4 months, and no disability was reported at 12 months. PedsQL physical health scores were below healthy child norms (83.4) at 1 month in the cohort for ages 8-12 years and 13-16 years. Although injuries are prevalent, ongoing impact on functioning and disability from most childhood injuries at 12 months was reported to be low. The results raise questions about reliability of generic, Western-centric tools in low- and middle-income settings, and highlight the need for local context-specific tools.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1144
Number of pages12
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume14
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2017

Keywords

  • Paediatric
  • Quality of life
  • Trauma

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