General health of end stage renal disease program beneficiaries

A telephone survey of a national sample of 515 Medicare End Stage Renal Disease Program beneficiaries was conducted to obtain information on their health status and its determinants. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) was applied during the interview process to obtain the health-status information. The reliability of each SF-36 health-status dimension was at least 0.85, and the validity of seven of the eight dimensions was high. Weighted least-squares regression results showed that health-status levels were often lower among older patients and Hispanic persons, and sometimes lower for those with low incomes. The implications of using the SF-36 for health-status measurement are also described.