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Rethinking and rescoring the SF-12
David Wilson1, Graeme Tucker, Catherine Chittleborough
1Department of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, South Australia 5011. David.Wilson@dhs.sa.gov.au
Objectives:
To derive and assess the validity of an Australian version of the SF-12 quality-of-life questionnaire.
Methods:
Using regression methods and structural equation modelling to obtain item weights, an Australian version of the SF-12 was derived from Australian population survey data and compared to the existing United States (US) SF-12 variable set.
Results:
The Australian version of the SF-12 explained 94% of the variation for physical components summary (PCS) and the mental components summary (MCS) of the SF-36 questionnaire. There was high level of agreement on the MCS and PCS summary scores between both versions of the SF-12 and the SF-36.
Conclusions:
Although it is possible to derive a valid Australian version of the SF-12 it is concluded the US version of the SF-12 be used for reasons of international comparability, but using item weights derived from structural equation modelling.