title: Evaluation of patient's Health-Related Quality of Life using a modified and shortened version of the Living With Asthma Questionnaire (ms-LWAQ) and the medical outcomes study, Short-Form 36 (SF-36).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The specific objectives of this study were to: 1) study the effect of moderate-to-severe asthma on patient's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and 2) evaluate the construct validity of a modified and shortened version of the Living With Asthma Questionnaire (ms-LWAQ) using the SF-36 as a concomitant measure of HRQoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, telephone or mail surveys of asthmatic patients enrolled in two central Florida managed care organizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All subscales of the SF-36 and four subscales of the ms-LWAQ demonstrated adequate reliability in this population (Cronbach alpha > 0.72). The subscales of the SF-36 most affected by patient's asthma were: general health perceptions, vitality and physical role functioning. These three subscales were correlated with four subscales of the ms-LWAQ: consequences, seriousness, affect and leisure. Six of the eight SF-36 subscales and all of the ms-LWAQ subscales were associated with patient's emergency department and hospital utilization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ms-LWAQ and SF-36 are valid as useful measures of asthma patient's HRQoL in this cross-sectional study. Severity of disease, as measured by health care utilization, was significantly associated with HRQoL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Health Care Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA. Ried@cop.health.ufl.edu
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Ried
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Nau
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Grainger-Rousseau
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results