OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the English version of KINDL (a self-administered generic quality of life instrument originally developed in German) in Singaporean children with diabetes. METHODS: Consecutive patients with diabetes (both types I and II) attending the endocrinology clinic at Kandang Kerbau Women and Children’s Hospital were asked to fill in the KINDL questionnaire. Healthy controls were recruited via street interview conducted outside community libraries located in different parts of the island. RESULTS: Thirty-five diabetics (mean age: 14.5 ± 1.48 yrs, 17 males and 18 females) and 34 healthy controls (mean age: 14.5 ± 1.05 yrs, 17 males and 17 females) completed the questionnaire. The overall result showed that diabetic patients have a significantly higher overall score compared to the controls (patient vs. control: 57.0 ± 8.7 vs. 48.8 ± 8.8*, p < .01). Item reduction of individual domains did not change the overall pattern or the difference in magnitude between scores obtained by the two groups. However, there were improvements (in the vicinity of four to five percent) in overall scores when either the “Personal” or “School” domain was eliminated, indicating the questionnaire is sensitive to the cultural and social difference between Asian and European cultures. The reliability of the instrument as measured by Cronbach's alpha for the six domains for the diabetics ranges from 0.31 to 0.75. CONCLUSION: Although the results appear improbable, they agree with the cultural and social characteristics of Singapore where the educational system is highly stressful. Parents of diabetic children may have lower expectations of their children due to their condition, and hence the perceived better QOL among the diabetic children. However, more data needs to be collected to confirm this observation. *Maximum possible score of 100.