Validity and reliability of Social Support Interactions Scale SSL12-I in a population of elderly people in Poland

This study aimed at assessing validity and reliability of Social Support Interactions Scale and it's usefulness in evaluation of social support received by elderly people in Poland. Theoretical validity of the scale was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (principal components method) and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha index and evaluating its internal consistency. Analyses showed some faults in theoretical validity of subscales concerning different dimensions of social support, which decrease their reliability. Nevertheless, scales constituting this survey mostly fulfill Kline's and Nunnaly's criteria, which means that they have acceptable internal consistency. Results confirm acceptable value of Social Support List - Interactions Scale for evaluation of social support received by elderly people in Polish conditions.     

SF-36量表应用于居民自我健康测评的信度和效度研究

目的:评价SF-36量表用于测量上海市居民健康及生存质量的信度和效度。方法:采用SF-36生存质量量表,由经过统一培训的调查员对上海市15岁以上居民2016人进行面对面访谈,对测量结果进行信度和效度分析。信度包括内部信度和分半信度,效度包括准则效度和结构效度。采用相关分析、非参数检验、多重比较和因子分析方法对SF-36量表的信度和效度进行评价。结果:整个量表的Cronbach’α系数以及去掉一项内容后得到的Cronbach’α系数均高于0.8,总量表的分半信度和各个分量表的分半信度均高于0.6。反映量表的信度较好。在准则效度的评价中,实际结果和理论推断和以往研究结果相一致,表明量表的准则效度较好。因子分析所产生的3个公共因子可解释总变异的75.30%,并在相应项目上有较强的因子负荷,表明量表的结构效度较好。结论:SF-36量表具有较好的信度和效度,适用于上海市居民的生存质量评价。     

中文版SF-36量表在浙江省老年人群健康生命质量评价中的信度和效度

目的 评价中文版SF-36量表在老年人群健康生命质量评价中的信度和效度.方法 2007年10-12月统一受训的调查员使用含中文版SF-36量表的问卷对浙江省城乡4241名60周岁以上的老年人面对面询问式调查,采用相关分析、信度分析、因子分析、t检验和方差分析等统计学方法 评价量表的信度和效度.结果 中文版SF-36量表具有较好的分半信度(r=0.91,P<0.001),内部一致性信度α系数除生命活力(α=0.65)、社交功能(α=0.65)、心理健康(α=0.40)维度外,其余维度的α系数均>0.8.每个条目跟相关维度的相关系数均>0.4(条目9-2除外),且高于该条目与其他维度的相关系数(条目9-8除外),说明中文版SF-36量表有良好的集合效度和区分效度.35个条目在提取的6个公因子中的分布与量表的理论结构假设基本一致,累计贡献达67.04%.除心理健康维度外,各维度具有良好的判别效度.结论 中文版SF-36量表有较好的信度和效度,适用于老年人群健康生命质量评价,但量表心理健康维度的信度与效度较低,且其中的9-2、9-8以及躯体功能维度中的3-1条目不适合于中国老年人群.     

SF-36量表中文版的应用及分级截断点选择的研究

目的 探讨美国简明健康测量量表SF-36用于中国老年人生活质量测量的可行性,并依据中国调查表来划分美国SF-36量表中文版的总分分级范围。方法 采用SF-36量表和中华医学会研制的老年人生活质量调查表同时对苏州市区167名老年人的生活质量进行测定,并对比分析其信度、效度。结果 中国老年人生活质量调查表和SF-36量表经因子分析产生的8个共因子与理论结构基本一致,结构效度的累积方差贡献为74.244％和72.081％,其分半信度分别为0.6676和0.9384。SF-36量表的同质性信度系数除生活活力、社会功能和心理健康3个维度,其他5个维度变化范围为0.81～0.89,满足群组比较的要求。SF-36量表较中国老年人生活质量量表的信度、效度更好。同时,确定划分SF-36量表的总分良好与中等的最佳截断点为117分,Kappa值为0.58。结论SF-36量表可以用于中国老年人的健康状况测量评估,划分生活质量“良”与“中”的最佳截断点为117分,为衡量老年人生活质量水平提供参考。     

农村空巢老人SF-36量表应用信度及效度评价

目的评价简明健康调查量表(SF-36)应用于农村空巢老人生存质量测量时的信度和效度。方法采用中文版SF-36量表,对江苏省徐州市分层整群随机抽取218名农村空巢老人进行面访调查,评价该量表的信度和效度。结果 SF-36量表的分半系数为0.84,生理职能(RP)、生理功能(PF)、躯体疼痛(BP)、总体健康(GH)、精力(VT)、社会功能(SF)、情感职能(RE)和精神健康(MH)8个维度Cronbach’sα系数为0.79、0.88、0.86、0.81、0.77、0.76、0.88、0.77,量表具有良好的分半信度和内部一致性信度;效度分析表明,集合效度和区分效度试验成功率分别为97.14%和97.96%,因子分析(RMSEA=0.12,CFI=0.91),PF、VT、RE、MH 4个维度在因子负荷上与理论模型完全一致;量表反应度评价表明,除RP、BP、SF 3个维度天花板效应分别为42.63%、48.79%、26.45%外,其他维度地板效应和天花板效应均不显著。结论 SF-36量表适用于农村空巢老人生存质量评价,但尚需根据实际情况对部分条目进行完善。     

The SF-36 in an Australian sample: validating a new,generic health status measure

Abstract: The SF-36 is a self-reported, 36-item, generic measure of health status that has been validated for adult age groups in the United States, the United Kingdom and in some non-English-speaking countries. The Australian Bureau of Statistics used it in the 1995 National Health Survey and it has been used in health status measurement, in monitoring health outcomes and in clinical trials. The validity of the SF-36 was examined in the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health Record Linkage Study using a sample of 555 respondents to the National Heart Foundation Risk Factor Prevalence Survey in 1989; they were followed up in 1992. Items chosen for the scale had been used in health status assessment and had stood the test of time. The health concepts measured demonstrated good internal consistency. The eight scales of the SF-36 formed factors as predicted in the general health dimensions of physical and mental health. The component scales of the SF-36 demonstrated good discrimination between people with and without health conditions, including those with medical and those with psychiatric types of conditions. Although the SF-36 was a valid measure of general health status among Australian respondents, further work is needed to establish clinical validity and to produce population norms for Australia. Use of the SF-36 will allow Australian and international comparison of health status from the point of view of the users of health services.     

Using the SF-36 and Euroqol on an elderly population

An important methodological issue in measuring health-related quality of life is whether instruments such as SF-36 and EQ can be used on an elderly population. This paper aims to test the completion, reliability and validity of the SF-36 and Euroqol on an elderly female population, and to compare them with the OPCS Disability Survey. Three hundred and eighty women aged 75 and over participated in a randomized controlled trial of the use of clodronate provided the sample. As part of the trial, patients were asked to complete the UK SF-36 and Euroqol, and the OPCS disability survey instrument administered by interview in a hospital clinic at baseline. A random subsample of respondents were retested six months later. The SF-36 achieved poorer levels of completion by dimension (68.1%–88.9%) than the OPCS (99.2%) and Euroqol (84%–93.5%) instruments. There were no major floor effects in the distribution of scores, except for the role dimensions of SF-36. Correlation between test-retest were significant for all instruments, but lower for the role dimensions and social functioning of SF-36, and these dimensions also had 95% Cls for the mean differences in excess of 10 points. There was substantial agreement between the three instruments, and evidence for their construct validity against age and recent use of health services. The sensitivities of the instruments were tested through hypothetical changes in health status. There was some evidence of greater sensitivity to lower levels of morbidity in the SF-36. Where brevity is required and the health changes are expected to be substantial, then EQ may be sufficient. For greater sensitivity SF-36 seems to have an advantage, however lower completion rates and problems with consistency suggest it requires adaptation. One solution would be to use interviewer administration. Another would be to change the SF-36 to make it more suitable for use in elderly people, although this may reduce its usefulness as a generic instrument.     

Quality of life assessment in the community-dwelling elderly: validation of the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) Instrument and comparison with the SF-36

Measurement of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of the elderly requires instruments with demonstrated sensitivity, reliability, and validity, particularly with the increasing proportion of older people entering the health care system. This article reports the psychometric properties of the 12-item Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument in chronically ill community-dwelling elderly people with an 18-month follow-up. Comparator instruments included the SF-36 and the OARS. Construct validity of the AQoL was strong when examined via factor analysis and convergent and divergent validity against other scales. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses and relative efficiency estimates indicated the AQoL is sensitive, responsive, and had the strongest predicative validity for nursing home entry. It was also sensitive to economic prediction over the follow-up. Given these robust psychometric properties and the brevity of the scale, AQoL appears to be a suitable instrument for epidemiologic studies where HRQoL and utility data are required from elderly populations.     

A Kiswahili version of the SF-36 Health Survey for use in Tanzania: translation and tests of scaling assumptions

The objective of the study was to translate and adapt the SF-36 Health Survey for use in Tanzania and to test the psychometric properties of the Kiswahili SF-36. A cross-sectional study was conducted as part of a household survey of a representative sample of the adult population of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The IQOLA method of forward and backward translation was used to translate the SF-36 into Kiswahili. The translated questionnaire was administered by trained interviewers to 3,802 adults (50% women, mean (SD) age 31 (13) years, 50% married and 60% with primary education). Data quality and psychometric assumptions underlying the scoring of the eight SF-36 scales were evaluated for the entire sample and separately for the least educated subgroup (n=402), using multitrait scaling analysis. Forward and backward translation procedures resulted in a Kiswahili SF-36 that was considered conceptually equivalent to the US English SF-36. Data quality was excellent: only 1.2% of respondents were excluded because they answered less than half of the items for one or more scales; ninety percent of respondents answered mutually exclusive items consistently. Median item–scale correlations across the eight scales ranged from 0.47 to 0.81 for the entire sample. Median scaling success rates were 100% (range 87.5–100.0). The median internal consistency reliability of the eight scales for the entire sample was 0.81 (range 0.70–0.92). Floor effects were low and ceiling effects were high on five of the eight scales. Results for n=402 people without formal education did not differ substantially from those of the entire sample. The results of data quality and psychometric tests support the scoring of the eight scales using standard scoring algorithms. The Kiswahili translation of the SF-36 may be useful in estimating the health of people in Dar es Salaam. Evidence for the validity of the SF-36 for use in Tanzania needs to be accumulated.     

Psychometric evaluation of a Chinese (Taiwanese) version of the SF-36 health survey amongst middle-aged women from a rural community

To test the psychometric properties of the Chinese (Taiwanese) version of the short form 36 health survey (SF-36), 1439 women, aged 40–54 years and living in Kinmen (a Taiwanese island reflecting a predominantly rural community) were recruited to participate in this survey. The rate of unavailable data points for the 36 tested items remained consistently low, and item-discriminate validity was high (95%) for all subscales. Cronbach's α coefficient remained above the 0.70 threshold criterion for all scales except for social functioning and bodily pain. Principal components analysis supported the two major dimensions of health, physical and mental, in the internal structure of the SF-36 scales, although the dimensions did not match the hypothesized association very well. Poorer health profiles were associated with physical and mental conditions. The mental health subscores in the SF-36 test correlated highly with the associated hospital anxiety and depression score (Spearman rank correlation coefficient = −0.62). In conclusion, the reliability and validity tests performed on the data collected support the cross-cultural application of the Chinese (Taiwanese) version of the SF-36 test. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Development and reliability evaluation of an instrument to measure health-related quality of life in independent elderly

This study presents an instrument, the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) profile for independent elderly, to measure the health-related quality of life of the functionally independent elderly assisted in the outpatient setting, based on the adaptation of four validated scales: Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Duke-UNC Health Profile (DUHP), Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). The study also evaluates the instrument's reliability based on its use by two different observers with a 15-day interval. The instrument includes five dimensions (health perception, symptoms, physical function, psychological function, and social function) and 45 items. Reliability evaluation of the QUASI instrument was based on interviews with 142 elderly outpatients in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prevalence-adjusted kappa statistic was used to assess all 45 items. Correlation was also calculated between overall scores and scores on individual dimensions. In the reliability evaluation, 39 of the 45 items showed prevalence-adjusted kappa greater than 0.60.     

Validation of the Kiswahili version of the SF-36 Health Survey in a representative sample of an urban population in Tanzania

The objective of this study was to assess the validity of a Kiswahili translation of the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) among an urban population in Tanzania, using the method of known-groups validation. People were randomly selected from a demographic surveillance system in Dar es Salaam. The representative sample consisted of 3,802 adults (15 years and older). Health status differences were hypothesized among groups, who differed in sex, age, socio-economic status and self-reported morbidity. Mean SF-36 scale scores were calculated and compared using t-test and ANOVA. Women had significantly lower mean SF-36 scale scores (indicating worse health status) than men on all scales and scores were lower for older people than younger on all domains, as hypothesized. On five of the eight SF-36 scales, means were higher for people of higher socio-economic status compared to those of lower socio-economic status. People who reported an illness within the previous 2 weeks scored significantly lower on all scales compared to those who were healthy, as did people who said they had a disability or a chronic condition.     

Quality of life and parkinson's disease: Translation and validation of the US Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39)

Parkinson's disease is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting an estimated 4 million people worldwide. A number of general health status measures exist but few fully capture the subjective evaluation of life quality associated with Parkinson's disease. We report here the results of: (1) translating the British PDQ-39 into a US version, (2) validity and reliability of the new US PDQ-39 questionnaire, and (3) parallel validation analyses following the method published in the development of the British version of the PDQ-39. Data were collected by postal survey on 150 patients recruited from neurology clinics in the Seattle area. A short, generic health status measure (SF-36) was used to test convergent validity, and a three-day test–retest assessed the reliability of the PDQ-39. The US version of the PDQ-39 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency ( = 0.51 to 0.96) and proved to be reproducible (0.86 to 0.96). Subscales of the PDQ-39 showed convergence with like scales of the SF-36 and was able to discriminate between levels of symptom severity.     

Quality of life in older people: A structured review of generic self-assessed health instruments

Objective: To review evidence relating to the measurement properties of multi-item generic patient or self-assessed measures of health in older people. Methods: Systematic literature searches to identify instruments. Pre-defined criteria relating to reliability, validity and responsiveness. Results: 122 articles relating to 15 instruments met the inclusion criteria. The most extensive evidence was found for the SF-36, COOP Charts, EQ-5D, Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and SIP. Four instruments have evidence of both internal consistency and test–retest reliability – NHP, SF-12, SF-20, SF-36. Four instruments lack evidence of reliability – HSQ-12, IHQL, QWB, SQL. Most instruments were assessed for validity through comparisons with other instruments, global judgements of health, or clinical and socio-demographic variables. Five instruments lack evidence of responsiveness – GQL, HSQ-12, IHQL, QLI and QWB. Conclusion: There is good evidence for reliability, validity and responsiveness for the SF-36, EQ-5D and NHP. There is more limited evidence for the COOP, SF-12 and SIP. The SF-36 is recommended where a detailed and broad ranging assessment of health is required, particularly in community dwelling older people with limited morbidity. The EQ-5D is recommended where a more succinct assessment is required, particularly where a substantial change in health is expected. Instrument content should be assessed for relevance before application. The concurrent evaluation of generic instruments in older people is recommended.     

SF-36量表在浙江省麻风治愈者中的应用

目的探讨健康调查量表SF-36在浙江省麻风治愈者中应用的信度、效度和可行性。方法以问卷访谈的形式调查892名麻风治愈者，用分半信度、内部一致性、构想效度和结构效度等指标对SF-36量表进行评判。结果该量表具有良好的内部一致性，8个维度的Chronbach’a系数均≥0．8。除心理健康（MH）外，各维度的分半信度较好，Pearson相关系数均≤0．7。构想效度比较满意。因子分析产生两个因子，能解释总方差的62．05％，且除精神影响（RE）外其他各维度在相应因子有较满意的因子载荷量（≥0．4）。结论SF-36量表基本适用于麻风治愈者生活质量评价，但部分条目需进行调整。     

Psychometric validation of the SF-36<Superscript>®</Superscript> Health Survey in ulcerative colitis: results from a systematic literature review

Purpose

To conduct a systematic literature review of the reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness of the SF-36^® Health Survey (SF-36) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

Methods

We performed a systematic search of electronic medical databases to identify published peer-reviewed studies which reported scores from the eight scales and/or two summary measures of the SF-36 collected from adult patients with UC. Study findings relevant to reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness were reviewed.

Results

Data were extracted and summarized from 43 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Convergent validity was supported by findings that 83% (197/236) of correlations between SF-36 scales and measures of disease symptoms, disease activity, and functioning exceeded the prespecified threshold (r ≥ |0.40|). Known-groups validity was supported by findings of clinically meaningful differences in SF-36 scores between subgroups of patients when classified by disease activity (i.e., active versus inactive), symptom status, and comorbidity status. Responsiveness was supported by findings of clinically meaningful changes in SF-36 scores following treatment in non-comparative trials, and by meaningfully larger improvements in SF-36 scores in treatment arms relative to controls in randomized controlled trials. The sole study of SF-36 reliability found evidence supporting internal consistency (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.70) for all SF-36 scales and test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.70) for six of eight scales.

Conclusions

Evidence from this systematic literature review indicates that the SF-36 is reliable, valid, and responsive when used with UC patients, supporting the inclusion of the SF-36 as an endpoint in clinical trials for this patient population.

     

Health-related quality of life of HIV-infected women: evidence for the reliability,validity and responsiveness of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 20

The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability, validity and responsiveness of a health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instrument, the Medical Outcomes Short-Form 20-ltem General Health Survey (MOS SF-20), in a sample of women with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Longitudinal data were collected on 202 HIV-infected women without AIDS who were receiving care at Kings County Hospital or SUNY Health Sciences Center, Brooklyn, New York. Internal consistency results showed acceptable reliability for the four multi-item MOS scales (role function, physical function, general health perceptions and mental health). Symptomatic patients and patients with lower Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ratings reported lower HRQOL than those who were asymptomatic or who had higher KPS scores. Patients who were older, unemployed or who had a history of injection drug use (IDU) also reported lower HRQOL. than those who were younger, employed or who had no drug use history. Adjusted mean scores on the MOS role and physical functioning scales proved sensitive to differences in clinical status over time. The MOS SF-20 is a reliable and valid instrument of HRQOL for women with HIV infection. Its sensitivity to differences in clinical status over time suggest that it may be useful as an HRQOL indicator for HIV/AIDS clinical trials.     

Reliability and validity of the SF-36 in HIV-infected homeless and marginally housed individuals

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) health survey as a health status indicator among HIV-infected homeless and marginally housed (HMH) individuals. Methods: Between July 1996 and May 2000, a sample of HMH individuals completed interviews that included the SF-36. Responses to the SF-36 were analyzed for missing data, range, internal consistency, and construct validity. Results: Among 330 individuals interviewed, 83% were male, 43% were African-American, and the median age was 39 years. All internal consistency reliability coefficients exceeded 0.70, all item–scale correlations exceeded 0.40, all items were more strongly correlated with their hypothesized scale than any other scale, and all reliability coefficients exceeded inter-scale correlations for the same scale. Three of four physical health scales were significantly associated with CD4 cell count and HIV viral load. All scales were significantly associated with depression. Discussion: We found that scales were internally consistent, items correlated to an acceptable degree with their hypothesized scales, items were distinct from other scales, physical scales were associated with CD4 cell count and viral load, and all scales were associated with depression. These analyses provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the SF-36 as a measure of health status in HIV-positive HMH individuals.     

The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36): Translation and validation study of the Iranian version

This was a large population-based study to develop and validate the Iranian version of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for use in health related quality of life assessment in Iran. A culturally comparable questionnaire was developed and pilot tested. Then, the Iranian version of the SF-36 was administered to a random sample of 4163 healthy individuals aged 15 years and over in Tehran. The mean age of the respondents was 35.1 (SD=16.0) years, 52% were female, mostly married (58%) and the mean years of their formal education was 10.0 (SD=4.5). Reliability was estimated using the internal consistency and validity was assessed using known groups comparison and convergent validity. In addition factor analysis was performed. The internal consistency (to test reliability) showed that all eight SF-36 scales met the minimum reliability standard, the Cronbachs coefficients ranging from 0.77 to 0.90 with the exception of the vitality scale (=0.65). Known groups comparison showed that in all scales the SF-36 discriminated between men and women, and old and the young respondents as anticipated (all p values less than 0.05). Convergent validity (to test scaling assumptions) using each item correlation with its hypothesized scale showed satisfactory results (all correlation above 0.40 ranging from 0.58 to 0.95). Factor analysis identified two principal components that jointly accounted for 65.9% of the variance. In general, the Iranian version of the SF-36 performed well and the findings suggest that it is a reliable and valid measure of health related quality of life among the general population.     

Performance of the Swedish SF-36 version 2.0

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of the first non-English (Swedish) SF-36 version 2.0 (V2) regarding scaling assumptions, reliability and validity, with special emphasis on the effects of extending the response scales of the two role functioning scales, role physical (RP) and role emotional (RE), from a dichotomous to a five-step format. METHODS: Questionnaires were mailed to a non-stratified, random national sample of 3000 18-75 year old Swedish residents in 1998-1999. Methods traditionally used in evaluating the original US SF-36 version 1.0 (V1) and other international versions were applied. RESULTS: A total of 73% of the questionnaires were returned. Scaling assumptions were satisfactorily met and generally enhanced compared with V1, particularly regarding the role functioning scales. Floor/ceiling effects were reduced and reliability estimates increased for the role scales. The factor structure was replicated and the relative validity of the role scales as measures of their components increased. Overall, the tests of the criterion-based validity using known groups comparisons produced results supporting hypotheses: scales from the physical domain distinguished best between groups expected to differ in physical health; and scales comprising the mental domain distinguished best between groups expected to differ in mental health. Furthermore, hypothesized differences in mean scale scores as a function of age and social risk factors were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The changes to the response formats of the role functioning scales have improved their precision, reliability and validity without jeopardizing the underlying structure of the original SF-36. These changes will likely further enhance the responsiveness of the SF-36.