Article

OBJECTIVES: To describe the health and quality of life (QoL) of youth and young
adults who have cerebral palsy (CP), and to assess the impact of 3 key factors
(severity, age, and sex) on these outcomes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.
SETTING: Participants were identified from 6 children's treatment centers in
Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: The sample of participants (N=199) included youth (n=129;
age, 13-17y) and adults (n=70; age, 23-33y) with a broad range of severity: 35%
mild, 19% moderate, and 47% severe. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURES: Health Utilities Index (HUI(3)), Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL),
and Self-Rated Health (SRH). RESULTS: SRH was reported to be excellent or very
good by 57% of youth and 46% of adults. Mean HUI(3) scores were .30 for youth and
.31 for adults. Mean AQoL scores were .28 for youth and adults. Severity of CP in
childhood predicted 55% of the variance in HUI(3) scores and 45% of the variance
in AQoL scores. Age and sex were not significant predictors of health or QoL.
CONCLUSIONS: The observed health and QoL scores were much lower than those
previously reported in the literature. This is likely a result of the inclusion
of those with severe CP. The scores for youth were similar to those for adults
and suggest that health and QoL outcomes were relatively stable across the
transition to adulthood. Youth and adults with CP have limited health status and
will require health care support throughout their lives to help them optimize
their well being. Longitudinal follow-up studies are essential to understand
better the patterns of health in this population over time.
CI - Copyright (c) 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS