Quality of life among schoolchildren with acne: results of a cross-sectional study

• Published in: Indian journal of dermatology, venereology, and leprology venereology, and leprology, 2012-07, Vol.78 (4), p.454-458
• Main Authors: Jankovic, Slavenka, Vukicevic, Jelica, Djordjevic, Sanja, Jankovic, Janko, Marinkovic, Jelena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acne; Acne Vulgaris - psychology; Adolescent; Care and treatment; Children & youth; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Diagnosis; Elementary school students; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Leisure Activities - psychology; Male; Quality of life; Quality of Life - psychology; Reproducibility of Results; Self Concept; Serbia; Sex Factors; Social Participation - psychology; Statistics, Nonparametric; Surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0378-6323; 0973-3922; 1998-3611
• DOI: 10.4103/0378-6323.98076

Acne is a common problem in adolescent children and has a considerable impact on their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Serbian adolescents with acne, using 2 questionnaires: The Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) and the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) and to provide a cross validation of 2 scales. This cross-sectional study was conducted among the pupils of the secondary railway-technical school in Belgrade, Serbia. 478 pupils (aged 15 - 18 years) completed 2 HRQoL questionnaires: CDLQI and CADI. We used t-test for differences between mean values of CDLQI and CADI and Spearman's rho coefficient for correlation between 2 questionnaires. Self-reported acne was present in 71.6% of pupils (64.3% boys and 35.7% girls). The overall mean CDLQI score (4.35 of max. 30) and the overall mean CADI score (3.57 of max. 15) were low, indicating a mild impairment of HRQoL among adolescants. There was good correlation between the 2 questionnaires (Spearman' rho = 0.66). The CADI and the CDLQI questionnaires represent simple and reliable instruments for the assesment of HRQoL among schoolchildren with acne. In this study, we identified 17% of boys and 18% of girls perceived their acne as a major problem. It is important to detect and treat such adolescents on time to reduce the psychosocial burden associated with acne.