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Short form 36 (SF36) health survey questionnaire: normative data for adults of working age
C Jenkinson1, A Coulter, L Wright
1Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Infirmary.
Objectives:
To gain population norms for the short form 36 health survey questionnaire (SF36) in a large community sample and to explore the questionnaire's internal consistency and validity.
Design:
Postal survey by using a booklet containing the SF36 and several other items concerned with lifestyles and illness.
Setting:
The sample was drawn from computerised registers of the family health services authorities for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, and Oxfordshire.
Sample:
13,042 randomly selected subjects aged 18-64 years.
Main Outcome Measures:
Scores for the eight health dimensions of the SF36.
Results:
The survey achieved a response rate of 72% (n = 9332). Internal consistency of the different dimensions of the questionnaire was high. Normative data broken down by age, sex, and social class were consistent with those from previous studies.
Conclusions:
The SF36 is a potentially valuable tool in medical research. The normative data provided here may further facilitate its validation and use.