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.
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.
Carver
D J
DJ
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Chapman
C A
CA
Thomas
V S
VS
Stadnyk
K J
KJ
Rockwood
K
K
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