Quality of Life Assessment in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Objectives: Evaluate the QoL of children with CP followed at Núcleo de Tratamento e Estimulação Precoce, in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; identify the most affected domains of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, of which target population consisted of parents of children with CP (N = 62). Data collection was carried out by applying the socioeconomic questionnaire and the Health-related Quality of Life tool – HRQoL-PedsQL version 4.0, module applied to parents. Data analysis was performed with SPSS statistical software, version 23.0. Results: The results after transformation of scores into a scale of 0 to 100 in PedsQL, the data showed statistical difference between QOL domains except for physical capacity and social aspect and in descending order of impairment, the domains were related to school activity, the emotional aspect, physical capacity and the social aspect. Conclusions: Given the above, to attain improvement in QoL indicators, it is reasonable to propose interdisciplinary intervention among healthcare professionals in order to develop improved strategies aiming to promote early integration of children with CP in schools, to obtain significant results.