The reliability and validity of two HIV-specific health-related Quality-of-Life measures: a preliminary analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the reliability and validity of two HIV-specific Quality-of-Life (QoL) questionnaires in a UK sample.


METHODS
Subjects were 99 HIV-seropositive gay men (23 were asymptomatic, 41 were asymptomatic, 35 had AIDS). QoL was measured using two HIV-specific QoL questionnaires.


METHODS
An adaptation of the Medical Outcomes Study questionnaire and a self-completion version of the Health-Related Quality-of-Life Questions. Affect was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) Scale. Disease measures included Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stage, and CD4 and CD8 cell count.


RESULTS
Both QoL instruments showed good internal reliability on all scales used. Many of the scales, particularly those related to physical health and functional performance, showed significant correlations with CD4 cell count and other measures of disease progression. Measures of physical health showed a deterioration in QoL as disease progressed from asymptomatic disease to AIDS. In contrast, most subscales purporting to measure psychological aspects of QoL did not correlate significantly with measures of disease progression, nor was there any difference between CDC stages. Subjects' global ratings of QoL were most strongly correlated with the HAD depression scale, although there were also significant correlations with most other QoL scales.


CONCLUSIONS
This study provides further evidence for the reliability and validity of two HIV-specific QoL questionnaires in a wider range of disease stages than hitherto reported and raises issues relevant to the practical use of QoL scales in HIV disease.
Burgess
A
A
Department of Psychological Medicine, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK.
Dayer
M
M
Catalan
J
J
Hawkins
D
D
Gazzard
B
B
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D006113:United Kingdom
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens