Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Public Health Reports logoLink to Public Health Reports
. 1994 Sep-Oct;109(5):665–672.

Measuring health-related quality of life for public health surveillance.

C H Hennessy 1, D G Moriarty 1, M M Zack 1, P A Scherr 1, R Brackbill 1
PMCID: PMC1403555  PMID: 7938388

Abstract

In public health research and practice, quality of life is increasingly acknowledged as a valid and appropriate indicator of service need and intervention outcomes. Health-related quality of life measures, including objective and subjective assessments of health, are particularly useful for evaluating efforts in the prevention of disabling chronic diseases. Such data can inform health policy, planning, and practice. Mechanisms for routinely monitoring quality of life of populations at the State and local levels are currently lacking, however. This article discusses the rationale for and concepts measured by four quality of life questions developed for the 1993 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a State-based telephone surveillance system. To encourage quality of life surveillance by States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion held two related workshops, one in December 1991 and the other in June 1992. The workshops convened experts in quality of life and functional status measurement and resulted in the formulation of items for the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System on self-perceived health, recent physical and mental health, and recent limitation in usual activities. The criteria, including feasibility and generalizability, considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the workshop participants in the selection and development of these items are discussed. A model that conceptualizes the relationship of quality of life domains measured by the four survey items is presented and validated with preliminary data from the 1993 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Finally, how States can use these measures to track progress towards the Year 2000 goal of improving quality of life is discussed.

Full text

PDF
665

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Batenburg M., Reinken J. A. The relationship between sickness absence from work and pattern of cigarette smoking. N Z Med J. 1990 Jan 24;103(882):11–13. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bertera R. L. The effects of behavioral risks on absenteeism and health-care costs in the workplace. J Occup Med. 1991 Nov;33(11):1119–1124. doi: 10.1097/00043764-199111000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bertera R. L. The effects of workplace health promotion on absenteeism and employment costs in a large industrial population. Am J Public Health. 1990 Sep;80(9):1101–1105. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.9.1101. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Blazer D., George L., Winfield I. Epidemiologic data and planning mental health services. A tale of two surveys. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 1991 Jan;26(1):21–27. doi: 10.1007/BF00783576. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Broadhead W. E., Blazer D. G., George L. K., Tse C. K. Depression, disability days, and days lost from work in a prospective epidemiologic survey. JAMA. 1990 Nov 21;264(19):2524–2528. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cockerham W. C., Kunz G., Lueschen G. Psychological distress, perceived health status, and physician utilization in America and West Germany. Soc Sci Med. 1988;26(8):829–838. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(88)90175-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Colsher P. L., Wallace R. B. Elderly men with histories of heavy drinking: correlates and consequences. J Stud Alcohol. 1990 Nov;51(6):528–535. doi: 10.15288/jsa.1990.51.528. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Colsher P. L., Wallace R. B., Pomrehn P. R., LaCroix A. Z., Cornoni-Huntley J., Blazer D., Scherr P. A., Berkman L., Hennekens C. H. Demographic and health characteristics of elderly smokers: results from established populations for epidemiologic studies of the elderly. Am J Prev Med. 1990 Mar-Apr;6(2):61–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. De Forge B. R., Sobal J., Krick J. P. Relation of perceived health with psychosocial variables in elderly osteoarthritis patients. Psychol Rep. 1989 Feb;64(1):147–156. doi: 10.2466/pr0.1989.64.1.147. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fihn S. D., Wicher J. B. Withdrawing routine outpatient medical services: effects on access and health. J Gen Intern Med. 1988 Jul-Aug;3(4):356–362. doi: 10.1007/BF02595794. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Haga H., Shibata H., Ueno M., Nagai H., Yasumura S., Suyama Y., Matsuzaki T., Suzuki K., Iwasaki K., Sawaguchi S. [Relationship of self-rated health to mortality among the community elderly]. Nihon Koshu Eisei Zasshi. 1991 Oct;38(10):783–789. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Haug M. R., Breslau N., Folmar S. J. Coping resources and selective survival in mental health of the elderly. Res Aging. 1989 Dec;11(4):468–491. doi: 10.1177/0164027589114004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Idler E. L., Angel R. J. Self-rated health and mortality in the NHANES-I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Am J Public Health. 1990 Apr;80(4):446–452. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.4.446. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jenkins R., Harvey S., Butler T., Thomas R. L. A six year longitudinal study of the occupational consequences of drinking over "safe limits" of alcohol. Br J Ind Med. 1992 May;49(5):369–374. doi: 10.1136/oem.49.5.369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kivelä S. L., Pahkala K. The prognosis of depression in old age. Int Psychogeriatr. 1989 Fall;1(2):119–133. doi: 10.1017/s104161028900013x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lamb K. L., Brodie D. A., Minten J. H., Roberts K. A comparison of selected health-related data from surveys of a general population and a sporting population. Soc Sci Med. 1991;33(7):835–839. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(91)90388-s. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McHorney C. A., Ware J. E., Jr, Raczek A. E. The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): II. Psychometric and clinical tests of validity in measuring physical and mental health constructs. Med Care. 1993 Mar;31(3):247–263. doi: 10.1097/00005650-199303000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mitchell J. M., Anderson K. H. Mental health and the labor force participation of older workers. Inquiry. 1989 Summer;26(2):262–271. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mosteller F. Implications of measures of quality of life for policy development. J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(6):645–650. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90029-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Patrick D. L., Bergner M. Measurement of health status in the 1990s. Annu Rev Public Health. 1990;11:165–183. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pu.11.050190.001121. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Perlmutter M., Nyquist L. Relationships between self-reported physical and mental health and intelligence performance across adulthood. J Gerontol. 1990 Jul;45(4):P145–P155. doi: 10.1093/geronj/45.4.p145. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Permanyer-Miralda G., Alonso J., Antó J. M., Alijarde-Guimerá M., Soler-Soler J. Comparison of perceived health status and conventional functional evaluation in stable patients with coronary artery disease. J Clin Epidemiol. 1991;44(8):779–786. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(91)90130-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rodin J., McAvay G. Determinants of change in perceived health in a longitudinal study of older adults. J Gerontol. 1992 Nov;47(6):P373–P384. doi: 10.1093/geronj/47.6.p373. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Rudberg M. A., Furner S. E., Cassel C. K. Measurement issues in preventive strategies: past, present, and future. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992 Jun;55(6 Suppl):1253S–1256S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/55.6.1253S. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Schroll M., Ferry M., Lund-Larsen K., Enzi G. Assessment of health: self-perceived health, chronic diseases, use of medicine. Euronut SENECA investigators. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Dec;45 (Suppl 3):169–182. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Segovia J., Bartlett R. F., Edwards A. C. The association between self-assessed health status and individual health practices. Can J Public Health. 1989 Jan-Feb;80(1):32–37. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Stewart A. L., Greenfield S., Hays R. D., Wells K., Rogers W. H., Berry S. D., McGlynn E. A., Ware J. E., Jr Functional status and well-being of patients with chronic conditions. Results from the Medical Outcomes Study. JAMA. 1989 Aug 18;262(7):907–913. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Wannamethee G., Shaper A. G. Self-assessment of health status and mortality in middle-aged British men. Int J Epidemiol. 1991 Mar;20(1):239–245. doi: 10.1093/ije/20.1.239. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Ware J. E., Jr, Brook R. H., Davies A. R., Lohr K. N. Choosing measures of health status for individuals in general populations. Am J Public Health. 1981 Jun;71(6):620–625. doi: 10.2105/ajph.71.6.620. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Ware J. E., Jr Standards for validating health measures: definition and content. J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(6):473–480. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90003-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Wolinsky F. D., Johnson R. J. Perceived health status and mortality among older men and women. J Gerontol. 1992 Nov;47(6):S304–S312. doi: 10.1093/geronj/47.6.s304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Public Health Reports are provided here courtesy of SAGE Publications

RESOURCES