Innovative Use of the Health Status Questionnaire-12 for Individual and Population Health.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Demonstrate how self-reported health (SRH) percentile ranks can be used in public health and clinical practice for better interpretable data. METHODS: Secondary analysis was completed to standardize Health Status Questionnaire-12 Version 2.0 (HSQ-12) scores. The HSQ-12 is a multi-item measure of SRH, with a Total Health Status Scale (THSS) and two subscales, Physical Health Status Scale (PHSS) and Mental Health Status Scale (MHSS). The sample included adult (19 and older) participants in Medicaid, including a normed sample (n=7,110) and population cohorts of midlife women (n=417) and pregnant women (n=1,888). RESULTS: Normed percentile data for HSQ-12 using the Medicaid sample were calculated and populations of midlife and pregnant women were compared with the normed percentile ranks. Results illustrate differences in percentile rank scores for the various population cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: This innovative strategy has the potential to lead to decisions that may positively influence health policies, outcomes, and lower health costs.