Prevalence and quality of life in high school pupils with acne in Serbia

Abstract

Background/Aim. Acne is a common problem in adolescent children with considerable emotional and psychological effects. The aim of this study was to determine the self-reported prevalence of acne and to assess its impact on the quality of life in high school pupils in Serbia. Methods. The cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2011 in two medical high schools in Serbia. Only pupils who gave a written informed consent to participate in the study (n = 440) were asked to fill in two questionnaires: short demographic questionnaire and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI), a disease-specific questionnaire measuring disability induced by acne. Internal consistency (tested by Cronbach?s alpha) and item-total score correlations (Spearman's correlation analysis) were used for reliability analyses. Results. The study population consisted of 440 pupils, 281 from Belgrade and 159 from Uzice. Among them 371 (84.3%) were girls and 69 (15.7%) boys, with similar sex distribution in Belgrade and Uzice. The total mean age of pupils was 16.48 years (SD = 0.55). Out of 440 pupils 228 (51.8%) self-reported their acne. The acne prevalence was significantly higher in pupils from Uzice (73.6%) than in those from Belgrade (39.6%). The overall mean CADI score for the whole sample was 2.87 ? 2.74, with the similar quality of life impairment in adolescents from Belgrade and from Uzice. The mean Cronbach?s alpha was 0.82. Conclusion. This study shows that the quality of life impairment due to acne is mild for the majority of the affected pupils. The Serbian version of the CADI is a reliable, valid, and valuable tool for assessing the impact of acne on the quality of life.Uvod/Cilj. Akne predstavljaju cesto oboljenje adolescenata, sa znacajnim emocionalnim i psiholoskim uticajem. Cilj ovog istrazivanja bio je da se proceni prevalencija akni i njihov uticaj na kvalitet zivota srednjoskolaca u Srbiji. Metode. U maju 2011. godine sprovedena je studija preseka u dve srednje medicinske skole u Srbiji. Samo ucenici koji su dostavili pisanu saglasnost za ucesce u studiji (n = 440) zamoljeni su da popune dva upitnika: kratak opsti standardni upitnik i Kardifov indeks nesposobnosti u vezi akni (CADI), specificni upitnik za procenu kvaliteta zivota obolelih od akni. Za analizu pouzdanosti CADI upitnika korisceni su Kronbahov koeficijent alfa (za testiranje unutrasnje konzistentnosti upitnika) i Spirmanova korelaciona analiza. Rezultati. Studijsku populaciju sacinjavalo je 440 ucenika, 281 iz Beograda i 159 iz Uzica. Medju njima je bilo 371 (84,3%) devojcica i 69 (15,7%) decaka, sa slicnom distribucijom po polu u oba grada. Ukupan prosecni uzrast ucenika bio je 16,48 godina (SD = 0,55). Od 440 ucenika njih 228 (51,8%) navelo je postojanje akni. Prevalencija akni bila je znacajno visa kod ucenika iz Uzica (73,6%) nego kod onih iz Beograda (39,6%). Ukupni prosecni CADI skor za ceo uzorak bio je 2,87 ? 2,74, sa slicnim smanjenjem kvaliteta zivota kod adolescenata u Beogradu i Uzicu. Kronbahov koeficijent alfa iznosio je 0,82. Zakljucak. Studija je pokazala da je kod vecine ucenika sa aknama umereno narusen kvalitet zivota. Srpska verzija CADI upitnika je pouzdana, validna i korisna za procenu uticaja akni na kvalitet zivota adolescenata.