Application of SF-36 scale among patients with advanced-schistosomiasis in Jiangsu province / 中华流行病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To understand the reliability and validity on SF-36 scale and the quality of life (QoL) among patients with advanced-schistosomiasis in Jiangsu province.Methods Cluster sampling method was used to choose 586 advanced-schistosomiasis patients who were registered in Jiangsu province.Questionnaire including SF-36 module,was used for face to face interview on the patients.Statistical analyses were made to assess the results,including correlation analysis,reliability analysis,factor analysis,t-test and one-way ANOVA.Results The split-half reliability coefficient was 0.92,P＜0.001 and the internal consistency reliability was 0.90,with the range of Cronbach' α coefficient on each dimension was from 0.69 to 0.98.Through principal component analysis,two factors were identified,with the accumulative contribution rate as 67.37％.SF-36 showed certain discriminant validity to distinguish groups in different economic levels.Compared with the domestic norm data,the scores of SF-36 on those patients were generally lows.Conclusion SF-36 had good reliability and good criterion validity,with a certain degree of discriminant validity,but with poor constructs validity.Level of QoL of patients with advanced schistosomiasis in Jiangsu was low because of being chronically ill,that called for more strategies to improve the QoL of patients.