Abstract
Objective: To know the impact of acne among female university students on their quality of life.
Methodology: A cross sectional study conducted included 260 female students at the King Khalid University. A self-administered questionnaire was used in Arabic for data collection. It consisted of personal data, practices and conditions related to health, specific questions on acne vulgaris and the Acne Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire.
Results: Prevalence of acne among participant students was 87%. Its severity among 48% of participants was mild, 39.6% was moderate, while 12.3% had severe acne. Its prevalence did not differ significantly according to participants' personal characteristics. The mean score for self-perception was 18.4+8.0, for role emotional was 14.4+8.8, for role social was 14.4+6.4, for acne symptoms was 13.4+5.2, while mean overall score was 60.5+24.4. Acne QOL scores for all domains were significantly lower among students who have acne. Scores for all domains and overall scores were lowest among students having severe acne. Students' acne QOL scores differed significantly according to their family monthly income regarding "self-perception" (p=0.005), role emotional (p=0.037) and overall (p=0.012).
Conclusions: Prevalence of facial acne is very high among students and significantly affects their QOL. During management of acne patients, health care professionals should consider its psychosocial aspect.
Limitations: Generalizability of the results is limited to female university students only and limited personal characteristics were assessed in the present study.