Quality of Life among Early Childhood Children Aged 2-4 Years in Na Fai Child Development Center, Mueang District, Chaiyaphum Province

Abstract

This mixed-method research aimed to study quality of life (QOL) and the factors related to QOL among early childhood children aged 2-4 years in Na Fai Child Development Center, Mueang District, Chaiyaphum province. The study was divided into 2 phases. Phase 1 included studying QOL in early childhood children using qualitative research method based on the knowledge gained from literature reviews, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and home visits with 20 parents and the center’s staff members. Phase 2 examined relationships between selected factors and QOL among children using quantitative research method with 80 early childhood aged 2-4 years. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and the quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation coefficients. The results showed that the situations that contributed to children’s developmental delays was limited parenting time, children spending too much time with the media, family not having sufficient incomes, and lacking family’s promotion of child development. Factors related to children’s QOL can be categorized in 3 groups: factors among children, parents, and child rearing. On children's side, child development, time spent on media and tooth decay had significant negative relationships with QOL at p=0.01 with r=-0.427, -0.472, -0.674, respectively while receiving breastfeeding after birth had a significant positive relationship with QOL at p=0.05 (r=0.274). On parents' side, it was found that gender was significantly associated with QOL at p=0.05 with r=0.241). In terms of child rearing, it was found that letting children learn new things, imitation and relationship building with others were significantly associated with QOL with r=0.721, 0.345 and 0.495 respectively at p=0.01.