Brazilian normative data for the Short Form 36 questionnaire, version 2.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Sciences

Background:

• Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment is crucial for population health.
• Existing international health status measures may not accurately reflect the Brazilian population.
• The Social Dimensions of Inequalities (PDSD) study offers a large dataset for developing population-specific norms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish age and gender-adjusted normative data for the SF-36 in the Brazilian population.
• To provide a benchmark for assessing HRQoL within Brazil.
• To facilitate comparisons of health status across different demographic groups and with international populations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 12,423 randomly selected Brazilian adults (18+) from urban and rural areas.
• Employed the SF-36 (Short Form 36) questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life.
• The study design allowed for the development of age and gender-adjusted normative data.

Main Results:

• Brazilian men scored significantly higher than women across all eight SF-36 domains and both summary scales.
• Brazilians generally scored lower than international counterparts on most SF-36 domains and scales.
• Exceptions to lower scores included general health status (US), pain (UK), and vitality (Australia, US, Canada).

Conclusions:

• Significant differences in SF-36 scores by age, gender, and country underscore the necessity of Brazilian-specific norms.
• The developed Brazilian norms are essential for accurate health status assessment in general and patient populations.
• These normative data will aid in evaluating the impact of health interventions on HRQoL.