Use of the SF-36 in low-income Chinese American primary care patients.
BACKGROUND
Measures of health status have been increasingly utilized but most research in the United States has been conducted on middle-class, English-speaking white persons. Although Asians reportedly often have a better health status than white persons, previously surveyed samples may not be representative of low-income non-English-speaking Asian immigrant populations.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study surveyed a convenience sample of low-income Chinese patients attending a community health center in Chinatown (New York City). We sought to evaluate the known-groups validity of self-administered Chinese and English versions of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and to determine if scores differed from a community-based sample of Chinese Americans and the United States general population.


RESULTS
Eight hundred fifty-six persons were approached and data were obtained from 523 participants (61%); 90% completed the questionnaire in Chinese and 74% earned less than 15,000 US dollars. Known-group comparisons based upon differences in age, gender, and number of medical problems yielded support for the validity of the SF-36 in this sample. The sample's SF-36 subscale scores were lower than scores from the community-based sample of Chinese Americans and tended to be lower than scores from the United States general population. Mean scores were lowest for persons reporting depression, anxiety, or an emotional problem.


CONCLUSIONS
The SF-36 demonstrated known-groups validity in this low-income Chinese sample. Collecting data in the primary care setting enables both a better understanding of the relative burden of disease in low-income Chinese and targeted program planning for preventive interventions.
Lubetkin
Erica I
EI
Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, CUNY Medical School, New York, NY 10031, USA. lubetkin@med.cuny.edu
Jia
Haomiao
H
Gold
Marthe R
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*