Health-related self-assessed quality of life in young people at a Youth Centre in Sweden

Objective: To study the self-reported health of young people visiting a Youth Centre (YC) at a University hospital, describe possible gender differences and to compare the results with those in previous Swedish reports on similar age groups using the same instrument. Design: All young people who visited a YC at a particular, randomly chosen time, were verbally asked to fill out a questionnaire, Short Form 36. The interviews were conducted during a 12-month period to lessen the impact of seasonal variations. Setting: A YC at the department for obstetrics and gynaecology, Uppsala University hospital. Participants: A total of 1495 young people aged 14-25 years who visited the YC. Results: The study population (n = 1495). Response rate was 96%. This population reported lower overall scores compared with the normative Swedish population from 1992. Further, females scored significantly lower than males on all subscales (p < 0.001), except for 'Physical Functioning'. The lowest scores were reported for the subscales Vitality, Role Emotional and Mental Health. Conclusion: This study describes physical functioning and mental health among young people visiting a YC. The results indicate a worsening of the perceived physical and MH in young individuals, especially in young women. Further studies are needed to monitor changes in MH and quality of life over time in this group and assess the effects of interventions. This study enhances the importance of a holistic approach towards health and health promotion comprising both physical and mental health issues.