Validation of the General Health Questionnaire in female video display unit (VDU) operators in Singapore

Fifty-seven Chinese female Video Display Unit operators employed in a multi-national company were asked to complete the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). This is part of a study on stress and asthenopia in this group of workers. Validity of the GHQ-28 was determined by comparison with the Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS). The GHQ-28 was found to give optimum results with a cut-off score of 5/6. The CIS classified 28.07% as cases and this was comparable to the estimated prevalence of 28.03% derived from the GHQ.