Abstract:

Quality of life assessment in adolescents constitutes a key reference for educational policy design, especially in technological upper secondary education subsystems, where the student population is characterized by its sociocultural diversity and educational needs that should be addressed in line with the principles of the New Mexican School. This study analyzed health-related quality of life in technological baccalaureate education students in Baja California, Mexico, through a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted with 3,761 students from 15 schools distributed across four regions of the state. The validated KIDSCREEN-52 questionnaire was applied in May 2025 to assess ten dimensions: physical quality of life, psychological quality of life, mood and emotions, self-perception, autonomy, family relationships and home life, economic resources, friends and social support, school environment, and social acceptance.

The results showed strengths in family relationships, as 68% of students felt loved by their parents and 67% perceived fair treatment, as well as in social support, where 65% reported mutual help among friends and 58% expressed complete trust in their friendships. However, critical areas requiring priority attention also emerged, as 44% reported frequent sadness, 47% experienced significant emotional distress, 63% presented sleep disturbances, and only 13% regularly engaged in vigorous physical activity. In the school environment, 57% perceived positive relationships with their teachers, although only 24% expressed high satisfaction with the teaching staff.

These findings indicate that while interpersonal support networks function as protective factors, significant challenges persist in emotional quality of life, physical activity promotion, and self-care. The study provides fundamental baseline data for designing evidence-based interventions to strengthen comprehensive health and quality of life in technological baccalaureate education students, also serving as a relevant input for school leadership and management by guiding actions that integrate the principles of the New Mexican School with the strengthening of institutional conditions that comprehensively promote students’ quality of life. These results are part of broader research on quality of life and academic performance in technological upper secondary education in Mexico.

Keywords:

Student well-being, quality of life, school management, baccalaureate education, psychological well-being.