Abstract

Background:
Health is the basis for an individual’s well-being and survival. Quality of life (QoL) is a subjective perception of an individual’s position in life that acts as a holistic factor in contributing to and determining the health and well-being of an individual. Health care education is a challenging and stressful academic path. Adolescence is defined as a period of ‘storm and stress’ and this is the phase during which an individual steps into college life, which again is a transitional and stressful period.

Aim:
This study aimed to assess the Quality of Life (QoL) of adolescent health care students in Chennai, India.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study was initiated after obtaining IEC clearance. First- and second-year Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (AHS) students (18-19 years) were included in the study (n-113). After obtaining basic details, Quality of Life (QoL) was assessed using the WHOQOLBREF questionnaire, which contains 26 items assessing physical, psychological, social, and environmental health.

Results:
The majority of the study participants were from year I (56.6%) and AHS department (53.1%). Gender-wise, female participants (70.8%) were more than males. QoL scores showed that adolescent healthcare students had moderate QoL, and females were found to have better physical (p 0.04) and environmental health (p 0.001) scores than their counterpart.

Conclusion:
This study showed that adolescent health care students have moderate Quality of Life (QoL), and females were found to have better QoL than males. Adolescence is the prime period of life. Thus, supportive measures, such as foundation sessions and orientation classes, should be provided to adolescent health care students to ensure a healthy life.

Key words: Quality of life, Adolescents, Health care education, Health, Academic load