Niloofar Motamed, Seyed Alireza Ayatollahi, Najaf Zare, Ali Sadeghi Hasanabadi,
Volume 10, Issue 38 (3-2002)
Background: Measuring perception of the population about their health in order to evaluate the usefulness of health care is important. To ascertain the reliability and validity of the Persian version of SF-36 health questionnaire, this study was conducted on the staff of Shiraz Medical School in 2001.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, we used alpha Cronbach's coefficient for reliability, one way ANOV A, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and linear regression for validity.
Results: Of some 134 questionnaires distributed, 112 ones (83.6%) were sent back. The responses rate was 83.6%. SF-36 was internally consistent as Cronbach's-Alpha coefficient was 0.87 which was more than the least recommended of 0.85. The construct validity of SF-36 was acceptable as the scores of physical component score and physical functioning decreased significantly with increasing age. Also, these two scores were less in married people. The correlation between physical and mental component scores and eight scales were acceptable.
Conclusion: The reliability and validity of the translated SF-36 were acceptably high. The translated SF-36 questionnaire is recommended for the assessment of population's health status due to its speed and simpleness. However, the choices regarding physical and psychological health seem to need reform. In the end, more studies with greater sample size to uncover other facts are strongly recommended.
