Gender differences in trajectories of health-related quality of life from childhood to adolescence in a 7-year follow-up study in a urban socially disadvantaged sample from Argentina

Abstract

Purpose: Few previous studies analyzed changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during childhood and adolescence based on longitudinal studies with information collected in high-income countries. This study aimed to describe the evolution of HRQoL scores by gender in a school sample over a 7-year period in Argentina.Study Design: Prospective cohort of children attending fourth grade in public schools.Methods: HRQoL was measured using the KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire. Scores were compared to the European KIDSCREEN references, and trajectories of HRQoL were estimated for girls and boys through multilevel models.Results: The Argentinean sample shows worse HRQoL scores compared to the international reference values, and a greater decrease in most HRQoL dimensions during the 7-year follow-up. Girls had equal or higher scores than boys at baseline, but the trend was reversed, and the gender gap increases over time. Children and adolescents with high or medium socioeconomic status tend to have higher HRQoL scores than those with low socioeconomic status.Conclusions: Argentinean children show lower scores on almost all dimensions compared to the European reference data. HRQoL scores decrease during the transition period from childhood to adolescence, with girls showing the greatest decrease. There were also socioeconomic inequalities in the evolution of HRQoL in a context characterized by socio-segregation and economic crisis, and aggravated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research raises concerns about critical changes in the trajectories of quality of life from childhood to adolescence.