Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
This research project was carried out to develop a dataset to produce normative values for healthy children using the Generic Children's Quality of Life (GCQ) measure and to assess the reliability and validity of the measure. The study aimed to assess the quality of life of a population sample of schoolchildren. The GCQ measure has been developed to allow comparison between chronically ill children and the general child population. The measure assesses how the child views his or her life, and how they would like their life to be. Quality of life is measured as the discrepancy between the two viewpoints. This large community-based survey aimed to establish GCQ norm values for children aged 6-14 years. The respondents to the survey were pupils at a sample of schools stratified by geographical location and social need into four categories: rural affluent; rural low affluence; urban affluent and urban low affluence. For the second edition of the study (September 2007), some new information was added to the user guide.
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The file includes the normative GCQ data, basic demographic details for each child (age, gender, type of school attended, Jarman index score for postcode of child's home address); children's responses to 25 'perceived self' questions; and 25 'preferred self' questions. The file also includes derived total 'perceived self' scores and total 'preferred self' scores, and the derived difference (or satisfaction) scores for each question for each child. The total difference score, used to derive the child's Quality of Life score, is also present, as is the inclusion/exclusion status of the child's data in the normative set. The file includes data on 841 children, with complete data on 720 of these subjects. Standard Measures: Children's Quality of Life measure (GCQ).
To obtain a wide-ranging sample of children, cluster stratified selection was applied, using schools and their location as criteria. Schools were selected using geographical location and the area's Nottinghamshire County Council Social Need Score. The Nottinghamshire County Council had conducted a detailed study of social need in Nottinghamshire, divided into 210 'zones'. Each zone covered a number of enumeration districts, and was assessed for social need on aspects such as income, car ownership, lone parenthood, unemployment rates, housing conditions, households with long-term illness, youths in care, number leaving education at 16 years, proportion of unskilled workers, etc. Schools were selected using the following four geo-economic categories: rural affluent, rural low affluence, urban affluent and urban low affluence communities. One primary school (pupils aged 6-11 years) and one secondary school (pupils aged 11-14 years) were tested in each of the geo-economic areas identified.
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