Conceptual equivalence and health-related quality of life: an exploratory study in Japanese and Dutch cancer patients.

Research into the equivalence of Western and Japanese conceptualizations of health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) is scarce. We used the Western (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, EORTC-QLQ-C30) and the Japanese (HRQoL-20) questionnaire in order to analyze the conceptual similarity of HR-QOL factors, and the associations between specific symptom items with overall HR-QOL in Japanese (n=265) and Dutch (n=174) patients with various types of cancer. Both populations completed both instruments. In both patient groups, the overall health scale of the EORTC-QLQ-C30 correlated highly (r=0.59; p<0.001) with the HRQOL-20 composite average score, indicating substantial conceptual comparability. Relationships between all EORTC-QLQ-C30 symptom items with HR-QOL were examined by ranking their correlations with the two overall measures of HR-QOL. Comparable patterns in the Japanese and Dutch samples were observed. The results suggest a considerable conceptual equivalence of HR-QOL in Japanese and Dutch cancer patients, and indicate a satisfactory structural and cross-cultural equivalence for the EORTC-QLQ-C30 with regard to items measuring functioning and specific symptoms. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the impact of specific symptoms on general quality of life.

Modern health worries in medical students.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between modern health worries (MHW), subjective health complaints, and use of health care services in first-year Dutch medical students, and to compare MHW in Dutch and New Zealand cohorts. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-seven Dutch first-year medical students completed questionnaires assessing MHW, subjective health complaints, positive and negative affect (PA and NA, respectively), and use of health care services. RESULTS: Dutch medical students were most concerned about drug resistant bacteria and least concerned about vaccination programmes. Overall, female students were more concerned about modern health issues than were male students. Students' scores on the MHW scale were significantly associated with subjective health complaints. Subjective health complaints were also significantly related to the use of health care services. The factor structure of the MHW scale was replicated. Respondents reported significantly lower scores on all MHW items than did New Zealand students. CONCLUSIONS: Worries about modernity are reliably associated with subjective health complaints and use of health care services in Dutch medical students.