"In public health and in medicine, the concept of health-related quality of life refers to a person or group's perceived physical and mental health over time. Physicians have often used health-related quality of life (HRQOL) to measure the effects of chronic illness in their patients to better understand how an illness interferes with a person's day-to-day life. Similarly, public health professionals use health-related quality of life to measure the effects of numerous disorders, short- and long-term disabilities, and diseases in different populations. Tracking health-related quality of life in different populations can identify subgroups with poor physical or mental health and can help guide policies or interventions to improve their health. Most conceptualizations of HRQL emphasize the effects of disease on physical, social/role, psychological/emotional, and cognitive functioning. This important book gathers the latest research from around the world in this field."--Publisher's description.