title: Validity and reliability of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-20 questionnaire as a measure of quality of life in elderly people living at home.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-20 (SF-20) questionnaire is recommended for health-related quality of life research, but there is little information on its utility in older people. We assessed the validity, reliability and feasibility of using the SF-20 in an elderly community-dwelling population.
  
  
  METHODS
  the SF-20 was administered to a stratified, random sample of 333 elderly subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  assessment of content validity revealed that important domains were lacking, while others appeared to be inappropriately combined. Using Spearman correlation coefficients, the SF-20 had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity. A principal components analysis provided evidence for internal consistency for some of the subscales. Evidence for test-retest reliability was good.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  while the reliability and feasibility of the SF-20 appear satisfactory, concerns about validity and responsiveness should temper enthusiasm for its use with elderly people living at home.
authors.affiliation: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Carver
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Stadnyk
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rockwood
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008297:Male; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires