sf 36 questions and creator how is the data collected

The SF-36 has been utilised in research on health inequalities and this research has shown that the SF-36 scales are differentially associated with markers of social-economic circumstance. There is an extensive body of research demonstrating socio-economic inequalities in the distribution of physical and mental health problems. The inclusion of the SF-36 in the HILDA Survey will enable investigation of the interaction between social, economic and health measures. As such, it is a critical resource for social policy development. The HILDA Survey is the first longitudinal household survey in Australia and is designed to provide a sound evidence base to support research and analysis of income, labour market and family dynamics.

This is an Australia-wide survey of approximately 7,680 households, comprising around 14,000 people aged 15 and over. In 2001, the SF-36 was included in the first wave of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. The SF-36 was also included in the Women's Health Australia survey, with data collected from a sample of around 41,500 women aged 18–22, 45–49, and 70–74. In 1995, a subset of National Health Survey respondents (around 18,800 adults) completed the SF-36 and the Australian Bureau of Statistics published Australian population norms. There are considerable Australian data on the SF-36 from large National samples. This has involved assessment of the psychometric properties of the Australian form of the SF-36, evaluation of internal consistency and reliability, and demonstration of content and construct validity. Previous research has demonstrated the validity of the SF-36 for use by Australian respondents using samples from Canberra and New South Wales. The SF-36 was first adapted for use in Australia in 1992, as part of the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project. In addition, the eight scales yield two summary scales of health, relating to physical (the Physical Component Summary: PCS) and mental (the Mental Component Summary: MCS) functioning and well-being. These eight concepts or scales are: Physical Functioning Role-Physical (interference with work or other daily activities due to physical health) Bodily Pain General Health Vitality Social Functioning (interference with normal social activities) Role-Emotional (interference with work or other daily activities due to emotional problems) and Mental Health (symptoms associated with anxiety and depression and measures of positive affect). It comprises 36 items of which all but one are used to measure eight important health concepts that are frequently examined through health surveys. It was developed to meet the psychometric standards necessary for group comparisons, to enable profiling of functional health and well-being, and to quantify disease burden. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36) is one of the most widely used, self-completion measures of health status.

Their use reflects the importance of considering the patients' point of view and the multidimensional nature of health. Self-reported measures of health status have been included in epidemiological and community-based survey research. While much health research focuses on objective outcome measures such as mortality or morbidity defined through clinical assessment, there is an increasing emphasis on self-reported measures of health status and health-related quality of life.

Sf 36 questions and creator how is the data collected