[Assessing quality of life in an urban population in Chengdu using the SF-12].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the health-related quality of life in an urban population in Chengdu China using the SF-12.


METHODS
A random sampling strategy stratified by age and sex was adopted to select the participants in Chengdu. A total of 1365 respondents with an age of older than 18 years completed the interviewer-administered SF-12 survey. The physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summary measures of the SF-12 were calculated using the standard US scoring method and compared to the urban population norms of Hong Kong and Australia.


RESULTS
Similar PCS and MCS scores were obtained for the urban Chengdu population compared to the Hong Kong and Australian population norms, albeit a closer similarity between the Chengdu and Hong Kong populations. The PCS and MCS scores of the SF-12 changed with sex and age.


CONCLUSIONS
The age- and sex-adjusted PCS and MCS scores of the SF-12 in the urban Chengdu population can serve as a reference for future studies using the SF-12 in China.
Department of Social Medicine, School of Public Health, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
Ning-xiu
NX
Li
Dan-ping
DP
Liu
Chao-jie
CJ
Liu
Xiao-hui
XH
Ren
Bo
B
Gao
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult