Health related quality of life impact from rotavirus diarrhea on children and their family caregivers in Thailand

ABSTRACT

Background: Rotavirus diarrhea is a major health problem among young children worldwide with potential negative impacts on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study assessed the impact of rotavirus diarrhea on HRQoL of children and their caregivers.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study among 460 hospitalized children with diarrhea aged under 5 years and their family caregivers at three hospitals in Phetchabun province, Thailand during May 2013 and February 2014. The severity of diarrhea was assessed using the Vesikari severity scoring system while the HRQoL was assessed using the EQ-5D-3L.

Results: The mean EQ-5D utility of children with all-causes diarrhea was 0.604. The utility of the rotavirus diarrhea group was significantly lower than that of the non-rotavirus diarrhea group (0.593 vs. 0.612; p-value = 0.040). The family caregiver’s utility was 0.964 at baseline and significantly decreased to 0.620 (p-value = 0.041) when their children were hospitalized with diarrhea. In multiple regression analyses, severity but not rotavirus infection had significant negative impacts on the utility of both the children and their caregivers.

Conclusion: Diarrhea, either caused by rotavirus or non-rotavirus infection, resulted in substantial negative impacts on the quality of life of both the children and their caregivers.

KEYWORDS:

• Rotavirus
• diarrhea
• quality of life
• child
• caregiver
• utility

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the nurses of Phetchabun Hospital, Lomsak Hospital and Nhongpai hospital, Phetchabun Province for helping with data collection, the Department of Disease Control for supporting and facilitating the study, and the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program for providing financial resource.

Declaration of Interest

O Rochanathimoke was granted by the Thailand Research Fund through the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program, which had no role in the study. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose

Additional information

Funding

This study was financial supported by the Thailand Research Fund through the Royal Golden Jubilee Ph.D. Program (Grant No. PHD/0186/2552), which had no role in this study.