Results of the PedsQL-4.0 Generic Core and PedsQL Fatigue
Multidimensional scales
Table 2 shows the scores obtained in the questionnaires, by single
dimension and in total, in the two study groups, and Table 3 shows the
scores for single items within each dimension.
The median scores (and IQRs) for perceived emotional functioning were
85.0 (62.5-87.5) and 60.0 (45.0-75.0) in the GYM group and No-GYM groups
(p=0.018), respectively. This is the only dimension in which
statistically significant different results emerged between the two
groups. Specific items associated with this difference were: fear,
sadness, sleeping difficulties, and uncertainty about the future, with
median values of 100 (IQR: 75-100) versus 75 (IQR: 50-100), 75 (IQR:
50-100) versus 50 (IQR: 50-75), 100 (IQR: 50-100) versus 75 (IQR:
50-100), and 100 (IQR: 50-100) versus 50 (IQR: 25-75), respectively, for
the GYM group versus the No-GYM group.
For social functioning, the GYM group returned slightly higher scores
than the No-GYM group for the items concerning getting along with peers
(median 100 [IQR: 75-100] versus 75 [IQR: 75-100]), and making
friends (median 100 [IQR: 100-100] versus 75 [IQR: 75-100]). For
the item about being able to do what peers can do, on the other hand,
the GYM group had lower scores than the No-GYM group (median 62.5
[IQR: 50-87.5] versus 75 [IQR: 50-100]).
The psychosocial functioning of the GYM group was also reported to be
slightly better than that of the No-GYM group (median 76.7 [IQR:
67.5-83.3] versus 71.7 [IQR: 56.7-76.7]).
The median HRQoL scores obtained with the PedsQL Fatigue scale were
lower for the GYM group than in the No-GYM group, except for the
“general fatigue” dimension, which was a median 66.7 [IQR:
58.3-79.2] for the GYM group as opposed to 62.5 [IQR: 50-83.3] for
the No-GYM, group. On analyzing the different items, the median scores
were found higher in the GYM group than in the No-GYM group for
perceived sleep quality (median 100 [IQR: 50-100] versus 87.5
[IQR: 50-100]) and for fatigue in activities of daily living (median
100 [IQR: 75-100] versus 87.5 [IQR: 75-10]).
The correlations between total scores (for physical health, psychosocial
health, and fatigue) were all weakly positive, ranging between 0.51 (for
physical health and fatigue) and 0.68 (for psychosocial health and
fatigue) (according to Pearson’s correlation index; Table 4 and Figure
1).