{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,3]],"date-time":"2026-02-03T01:18:15Z","timestamp":1770081495294,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]],"date-time":"2026-01-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769817600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"La Roche-Posay"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, pruritic and relapsing inflammatory skin disorder affecting children\u2019s quality of life (QoL). Despite rising global prevalence, data on its impact on QoL in low-resource settings remain limited. This study aimed to assess the impact of AD and associated factors on the QoL of children and assesses the effect of educational intervention in Ethiopia. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among 461 AD children and their caregivers across four randomly selected hospitals dermatology clinics in Ethiopia from October 2022 to March 2024. Assessments included AD Severity using Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), Infants\u2019 Dermatitis Quality of Life Index (IDLQI) for children aged 0\u20134, and Children\u2019s Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) for children aged 5 to 16. Participants received educational guidance from trained nurses during follow-up beyond routine AD treatment. Trained personnel collected clinical and sociodemographic data. AD severity and QoL were reassessed after 6 months. Descriptive, univariate, and linear regression analyses identified factors influencing QoL, with associations reported as odds ratios (95% CI) and significance set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: Of 461 children, 424 (92%) completed follow-up. Most were under five (67%) with a median age of 3 years; 72.2% had AD onset before age two. Most caregivers were female (68.9%). After six months, clinical signs of AD, including dryness, erythema, excoriation, and lichenification, improved notably. Mild AD increased by 33.5%, while moderate and severe cases decreased by 17.5% and 16%, respectively. QoL significantly improved across all domains (p = 0.001). Baseline disease severity (\u03b2 = 0.11), change in severity (\u0394SCORAD) (\u03b2 = 0.043), number of dependents (\u03b2 = \u22120.71), and age at disease onset (\u03b2 = 0.005) as significant predictors of QoL. Conclusions: AD significantly impairs QoL in Ethiopian children, with greater severity causing more disruption. Routine treatments with educational interventions significantly improve disease severity and QoL. Integrated clinical and psychosocial care approaches for pediatric AD are crucial in resource-limited settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children13020201","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,2]],"date-time":"2026-02-02T12:00:47Z","timestamp":1770033647000},"page":"201","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Impact of Atopic Dermatitis on the Quality of Life of Children in Ethiopia: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9540-8671","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abraham Getachew","family":"Kelbore","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo P.O. Box 138, Ethiopia"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Wendemagegn","family":"Enbiale","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 79, Ethiopia"},{"name":"Collaborative Research and Training Center for Neglected Tropical Diseases, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch P.O. Box 21, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1894-7326","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jacqueline M.","family":"van Wyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Professional Practice, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa"},{"name":"Department of Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0449-5509","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Efa Ambaw","family":"Bogino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, College of Health Sciences and Medicine, Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita Sodo P.O. Box 138, Ethiopia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aldo","family":"Morrone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"International Institute Social, Medical, and Anthropological Sciences (IISMAS), 00118 Rome, Italy"},{"name":"Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences, 00131 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anisa","family":"Mosam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa"},{"name":"Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, Durban 4091, South Africa"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.25259\/IJDVL_529_19","article-title":"Quality of life in children with atopic dermatitis: A one-year prospective cohort study","volume":"88","author":"Gazibara","year":"2021","journal-title":"Indian J. Dermatol. Venereol. Leprol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.7196\/SAJCH.2018.v12i4.1449","article-title":"Impact of atopic dermatitis on the quality of life of Nigerian children: A hospital-based cross-sectional study","volume":"12","author":"Ayanlowo","year":"2018","journal-title":"S. Afr. J. 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