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Abstract: Aim: To assess factors associated to self-rated health in young elite athletes. Methods: Participants (N =617) aged 16–24 years were recruited in 52 special sports centers in Provence (southeastern France). Perceived health was rated with a single-item question. Results: Most athletes (85.9%) rated their health as good or excellent. Gender, age, injuries, family support, alcohol use and psychological distress were significant predictors of perceived health, which was not, however, associated with sports characteristics or training intensity. Conclusion: This study, supporting previous research among youth, suggests that young elite athletes'' appraisals of their health are based on physical and non-physical health dimensions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

During the last two decades, quality of life (QOL) has been perceived as an innovative indicator of patients’ self-perceived health status, allowing integration of a qualitative approach in medical decision-making. This is evident from the number of publications related to this topic: during the three decades between 1973 and 2002, 1124 papers dealing with QOL in asthma were cited in Medline, 85% having been published during the last 15 years and 65% during the last 5 years. A number of reasons can be given for the interest in this subject: the limitations of traditional indicators of health outcomes, the evolution of the relationship between patients and physicians, the rationalisation of health care expenditures, the increasing importance of health care interventions, and also the desire to keep up with the fashion. The medical community at large has been trying to define QOL, how to measure it, looking at the available instruments and how to use them; this is also true for allergy. Of the 1124 publications cited above, only 41 (3.5%) were written in French. We point out that QOL is a measurable concept, that it is based on a subjective approach and that it has numerous applications. Nevertheless, for a wider use in France, especially in allergy, decision makers must make it a key issue before clinicians are going to understand QOL and make full use of questionnaires used to measure it. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The awareness of illness in schizophrenia has a new lease of interest, in particular with the techniques of « insight therapy », striving to increase the level of patient’s insight. However, little is known about links between this level of insight and its impact on the quality of life. In this work, we investigated, in 21 schizophrenic patients, the influence of insight on quality of life, taking into account confounding socio-demographic and clinical factors. The level of insight is appreciated using the Markova` and Berrios Insight Scale and the G12 item of the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS). The patient’s subjective quality of life is evaluated by the self-reported questionnaire S–QoL. No correlation was found between level of insight and socio-demographic and clinical factors. By contrast, a significant negative correlation between subjective evaluation of quality of life and level of insight is found. All S–QoL domains were concerned, in particular the « self-esteem » one. These results must be discussed in relation to psycho-educational treatment needs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]