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Quality of life among children in the Nordic countries
1Nordic School of Public Health, Göteborg, Sweden.
Insights
Children in Nordic countries generally experience high quality of life (QOL). Sweden, Denmark, and Norway showed the highest QOL, with Iceland reporting the lowest due to satisfaction levels.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Quality of Life (QOL) lacks a universal definition, often neglecting demographic and socioeconomic factors.
- QOL research has rarely focused on pediatric populations.
- This study defines QOL for children based on external, interpersonal, and personal conditions, incorporating both objective and subjective measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a normative model for assessing children's Quality of Life (QOL) in the Nordic countries.
- To empirically apply this model to a large, representative sample of Nordic children.
- To provide a baseline for future longitudinal or comparative QOL studies in children.
Main Methods:
- A random sample of 15,000 children from five Nordic countries participated.
- Data were collected via questionnaires mailed to families.
- QOL was analyzed normatively against a defined Nordic standard.
Main Results:
- Children in the Nordic region exhibit a high overall Quality of Life (QOL).
- Inter-country variations in QOL were minimal.
- Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian children reported the highest QOL, followed by Finnish children, with Icelandic children reporting the lowest, primarily due to lower satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- The study establishes a high baseline QOL for children in the Nordic countries.
- Minor QOL differences exist between Nordic nations, with satisfaction being a key differentiator.
- This research provides a foundation for future studies on QOL trends and specific child populations.
Abstract:
Quality of life (QOL) is a concept with no generally accepted definition. Most clinical studies have had an individual approach where demographic and socio-economic population aspects have not been considered. QOL has hardly ever been used in studies of children. In this study QOL is defined as the essential resources of a child population, expressed in external, inter-personal and personal conditions. Both objective conditions and the corresponding subjective perceptions are included. A model for an empirical application is demonstrated on a random sample of 15,000 children in the five Nordic countries. The data were collected in a questionnaire mailed to the families of the children. The QOL was analysed in a normative way, where a base value was defined for each variable and the conditions of the children were compared to a Nordic standard for children's QOL. The results showed that children in the Nordic countries have a high QOL. The differences between the countries were rather small. Children in Sweden had the highest QOL, closely followed by children in Denmark and Norway, while children in Finland were in an intermediate position and the Icelandic children had the lowest QOL, mainly due to a lower level of satisfaction. This study can be considered as a base line study which later can be used in studies of time trends or in comparisons of groups of children such as children with special needs.
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