Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
2
Lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Ain Shams University, Egypt. and - Department of Public Health, CollegeHealth Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
3
College of Social Work,Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.
4
)Department of Public Health, CollegeHealth Sciences, Saudi Electronic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Background: Obesity is rapidly overtaking as a burden of the disease, it is expanding to
include children, which put it on the top of the international public health agenda. Aim the study
aimed to explore the quality of life among school-age children suffering from obesity and their
mothers’ perspective in the Cairo governorate. Research design was descriptive correlational
cross-sectional design. Setting: The study was carried out in selected governmental primary
schools in Cairo governorate. Sample: In total, two hundred children and their mothers agreed to
participate in the study. Tools: Two tools were used, I : Pre-designed Questionnaire
interviewing Format which consisted of three parts: first part focused on socio-demographic
data for children such as age, gender, grade level, their parents’ educational levels and family
income of the studied sample. Second part focused on medical and family history. Third part
focused on the nutritional habits of children. II: Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version 4.0
which consisted of two part, first part: Children health-related quality of life to assess QoL of
children which includes 3-items covering the physical, emotional, social and school functioning
domains. Second part: Mothers’ perspective on the QoL of their children. Results: that the mean
age of the participating school children was .37 ± 1.8, ⯀3.5% of the children were obese and
5% of them had obesity class III. ⯀.5% of children have a positive family history of obesity. An
overview of the QoL dimensions, showing the weighted means for physical, social, emotional,
and school dimensions (1.⯀±0.43; 1.4±0.51; 1.⯀5±0.3; 1.80±0.43 respectively). These values
indicate poor QoL. Conclusion: It was concluded that school-age children in the Cairo
governorate had a poor QoL, with a statistically significant difference recorded with respect to
age, BMI, and family income, and a highly statistically significant difference with the educational
level of the mother of each child. However, no statistically significant difference was identified
between QoL and gender. Recommendation: Establish education programs from school age
onwards to teach families about healthy eating habits and raise awareness of health hazards
associated with fast food consumption.
Keywords
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