Short Form Survey (short + form_survey)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Psychometric Properties of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale and the Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in Older Women

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2 2008
Kristine M.C. Talley MS
OBJECTIVES: To compare the psychometric properties of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) and the Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly (SAFE). DESIGN: Secondary analysis using baseline and 12-week data from a randomized, controlled trial on fall prevention. SETTING: Upper Midwest metropolitan area with assessments conducted in participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Population-based sample of 272 noninstitutionalized female Medicare beneficiaries aged 70 and older at risk of falling. MEASUREMENTS: Participants self-administered the ABC, SAFE, Geriatric Depression Scale, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Survey. During a home visit, a nurse practitioner administered the Berg Balance Test and Timed Up and Go, measured gait speed, and asked about falls and chronic illnesses. RESULTS: Baseline internal consistency measured using Cronbach alpha was 0.95 for the ABC and 0.82 for the SAFE. Baseline concurrent validity between the ABC and SAFE measured using a correlation coefficient was ,0.65 (P<.001). ABC and SAFE scores were significantly correlated at baseline with physical performance tests and self-reported health status. The ABC had stronger baseline correlations than the SAFE with most measures. Neither instrument demonstrated responsiveness to change at 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The ABC and SAFE demonstrated strong internal-consistency reliability and validity when self-administered. The ABC had stronger associations with physical functioning and may be more appropriate for studies focused on improving physical function. Both instruments demonstrated ceiling effects, which may explain the lack of responsiveness to change in relatively nonfrail older women. Instruments sensitive to measuring lower levels of fear of falling are needed to capture the full range of this phenomenon in this population. [source]


The Observational Evaluation of Subjective Well-Being in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 1 2009
Afton L. Hassett
An important aspect of general health is subjective well-being (SWB), which is defined as happiness and overall satisfaction with life. Herein we examined the reliability and validity of observation-based ratings of SWB in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ten RA patients experiencing a disease flare (period of increased symptoms) completed two semi-structured interviews (baseline and 4 weeks later) that were digitally recorded. Twelve healthcare professionals watched the 20 brief videos in random order and scored them using the Well-Being Coding System (WBCS) for observer-reported SWB. Patient-reported SWB scores and scores from the Medical Outcomes Study: 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) were compared to observer-reported scores for SWB. We found inter-rater reliability to be extremely high and a significant relationship between observer SWB composite scores and patient SWB composite scores. Observer SWB composite scores and other scores associated with SWB from the SF-36 were also related significantly. There was also some evidence supporting the ability of observers to detect change in SWB. Taken together, we found preliminary evidence suggesting that when using information gleaned from brief patient interviews clinicians can make reliable and valid evaluations of patients' SWB. [source]


Urological symptom clusters and health-related quality-of-life: results from the Boston Area Community Health Survey

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 11 2009
Susan A. Hall
OBJECTIVE To determine whether urological symptom clusters, as identified in previous studies, were associated with health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and use of healthcare. SUBJECTS AND METHODS The Boston Area Community Health Survey is a population-based epidemiological study of 2301 male and 3201 female residents of Boston, MA, USA, aged 30,79 years. Baseline data collected from 2002 to 2005 were used in this analysis. Data on 14 urological symptoms were used for the cluster analysis, and five derived symptom clusters among men and four among women were used in multivariate linear regression models (adjusted for age group, race/ethnicity, and comorbidity) to determine their association with physical (PCS-12) and mental health component scores (MCS-12) calculated from the Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short Form Survey. RESULTS For both men and women, being in the most symptomatic cluster was associated with decrements in the PCS-12 score (men, cluster 5, ,10.42; women, cluster 4, ,9.80; both P < 0.001) and the MCS-12 score (men, cluster 5, ,9.35; women, cluster 4, ,6.24; both P < 0.001) compared with the asymptomatic groups. Both men and women in these most symptomatic clusters appeared to have adequate access to healthcare. CONCLUSION For men and women, those with the most urological symptoms reported poorer HRQoL in two domains after adjusting for age and comorbidity, and despite adequate access to care. [source]


Health-related Quality of Life of People with Epilepsy Compared with a General Reference Population: A Tunisian Study

EPILEPSIA, Issue 7 2004
Hela Mrabet
Summary:,Purpose: The goal of the study was to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of persons with epilepsy (PWE) by using the short form survey 36 (SF-36), to compare it with that of a control group and to detect factors influencing it. Methods: We collected clinical and demographic data and information on health status by using the Arabic translation of the SF-36 questionnaire from two groups: (a) 120 PWE consulting our outpatient clinic during a period of 4 months, and (b) 110 Tunisian citizens, representative of the Tunisian general population, as a control group. Results: The mean age of PWE group was 32.74 years, and 45.5% were men. Idiopathic generalized epilepsies were observed in 44.5% of cases, and symptomatic partial epilepsies, in 30%. The most commonly prescribed drug was sodium valproate (VPA). For the SF-36, PWE had lower scores than the control group for only three subscales: general health perception, mental health, and social functioning. Seizure frequency, time since last seizure, and the antiepileptic drug (AED) side effects were the most important variables influencing the HRQOL among PWE. Seizure-free adults have HRQOL levels comparable to those of the control group. Sociodemographic variables had no influence on the SF-36 subscales. Conclusions: HRQOL is impaired in Tunisian PWE. The influencing factors identified in this study differ from the previously published data. Several possible reasons such as family support and cultural and religious beliefs are proposed to explain these cross-cultural differences. A larger study should be conducted to verify such findings. [source]