Measurement tool | Cronbach's α | Test–retest | Validity | Population norms | Responsiveness | Measure of health | Measure of well-being | Subjective measure used | Global assessment made | Length | Clarity of questions | Cross-cultural use | Cost | Domains |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
QOLS-Quality of Life Scale1 | 0.82–0.92 | 0.78–0.84 | Good convergent and discriminant validity | Yes | Responsive to intervention, for example, treatment in chronic disease | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 items, 5 min | Easy, | Many languages | Free for research and clinical use1 | Material and physical well-being, relationships with other people, social, community and civic activities, personal development and fulfilment and recreation |
PWI-Personal Wellbeing Index2 | 0.7–0.85 | ICC=0.84 | Good construct and convergent validity | Yes | Set in present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 items | Easy | Many languages | Free for research use. (From email to author) | Living standards, Health, Achieving in life, Relationships, Safety, Community connection and Future security |
CWI-Community Wellbeing Index3 | PSI=0.82–0.85 | Unknown | Good internal, external and discriminant validity | Yes | Set in present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 items | Questionnaire in Spanish | Used in Spain | Free (From email to author) | Community services, Community attachment, physical and social environment |
WHOQOL-BREF4 5 | 0.68–0.82 all domains | ICC=0.85–0.95 | Good criterion validity with WHOQOL, convergent validity, content, construct and divergent validity. Good predictive validity for depression | Yes | Set in present. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 26 Items | Easy | Many languages | Free for research use6 | Physical, psychological, Social and environment |
HRQOL from COOP/WONCA charts7 | 0.766 | >0.75 | Good predictive validity with age and physical fitness. Good convergent validity with SF-36 | Yes | Past 2 weeks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | <5 min | Easy, uses pictures | Many languages | $15 One off payment8 | Physical fitness, Feelings, Social activities, Overall health and pain |
WHOQOL-1009 10 | 0.967 | Highly correlated over 2–8 weeks | Good discriminant validity between sick and healthy Good content, construct, divergent and convergent validity | Yes | Past 2 weeks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 items | Easy | Many languages | Free unless pharma or commercially funded, then it is 350 pounds11 | Overall health and quality of life, Pain and discomfort, Energy and fatigue, Sleep and rest, Positive feelings, thinking, self-esteem, appearance, negative feelings, mobility, ADL, dependence on medicines, working capacity, social support, sexual activity, physical safety and security, home environment, financial resources, health and social care, opportunities, participation, environment, transport and Beliefs |
SIP-Sickness Impact Profile12 | 0.9–0.92 | 0.88 | SIP68 Good criterion validity with SIP. Good content validity | Yes | Can detect change, Responsiveness index: SIP68=0.62 SIP136=0.64 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | SIP: 136 items, 20–30 min SIP68: 68 items 15–20 min | Easy | Many languages | Free to use12 | Physical, Mental and Social |
SF12-Short Form 1213 | Not listed | 0.89–0.76 | Good criterion validity with SF36, discriminant validity (slightly lower than SF36) | Yes | Past 4 weeks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 min or 12 questions | Easy | Many languages | Cost proportional to size of study14 | Physical and mental health |
BRFSS-Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System15 | Not listed | High for Health and Wellbeing domains | Good convergent validity | Yes | Used as a longitudinal measure | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Not all domains necessary | Easy. Telephone Survey | Not much data | Free to use. (From email to author) | 1. Access to healthcare/general health 2. Immunisation, preventive screening, and testing 3. Physical activity measures 4. Chronic disease 5. Mental health measures 6. Overweight and obesity measures 7. Tobacco and alcohol use measures 8. Responsible sexual behaviour measures 9. Injury risk and violence |
SOC13-Sense of Coherence16 | 0.91 (8 published studies) | 0.91 over 2 weeks | Good construct, consensual and discriminant validity. Good criterion validity to a number of studies | Yes | Set in present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10–15 min 13 items | Easy | Many languages | Free for academic and non-commercial purposes17 | Global orientation to oneself and one's environment (19 r's); stressors (11 r's); health, illness and well-being (32 r's); attitudes and behaviour (5 r's) |
SOC29-Sense of Coherence16 | 0.82 (5 published studies) | 0.91 over 2 weeks | Good construct, consensual and discriminant validity. Good criterion validity to a number of studies | Yes | Set in present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15–20 min 29 items | Easy | Many languages | Free for academic and non-commercial purposes17 | Global orientation to one and one self's environment, stressors, health, illness, well-being, attitudes and behaviours |
WBS-Wellness Belief Scale18 | 0.88–0.94 | Unknown | Good discriminant and predictive validity | Healthy women <25 | Set in present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 items or equivalent 9 items | Easy | Not documented | Requested | Health behaviours, Health beliefs and Response to illness |
RAND1219–21 | Not measured | Unknown | Good construct validity. Better discriminant validity than SF12 | Yes | Not as responsive as disease specific scales for heart failure | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 min or 12 questions | Easy | Many languages | Cost proportional to size of study. Uses the SF-12 Questionnaire14 | Physical and Mental dimensions |
SF36-Short Form 3622 | 0.9 | ICC=0.81 General Health ICC=0.52 Mental Health | Good content, concurrent, criterion, construct and predictive validity | Yes | Based on the past 1-week or 4 weeks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 36 Items | Easy | Many languages | Cost of use proportional to size of study23 | Physical, social, role physical, role emotional, mental health, energy and pain |
SWLS-Satisfaction With Life Survey24 | 0.87 | 0.82 | Good discriminant validity and construct validity | Yes | Speaks of life in general, does not refer to immediate past. Poor responsiveness | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 items | Easy | Many languages | Free to use25 | Life in general |
HPLP-II-Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile26 | 0.94 | Unknown | Good construct validity | Yes | Set in Present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 52 items | Easy | Many languages | Free for non-profit. Needs permission to use in a study27 | Health responsibility, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Spiritual growth, nterpersonal relationships and Stress managements |
EQ5D-EuroQol28 | Not mentioned | ICC 0.85 3 week retest | Moderate convergent validity with SF 12. Good predictive validity for recent illness | Yes | Set in the present. Poor sensitivity due to ceiling effect | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 min | Easy | Many languages | Cost is proportional to size of study29 | Mobility, Self-care, Usual activity pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression |
QWB-Quality of Wellbeing Scale28 | Not appropriate | 0.9 over a few days | Good convergent validity with SF 20 and COOP. Good construct and predictive validity | Yes | Uses the past 3 days. Responsive to treatment interventions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10–30 min | Complex | 10 different languages | Free for research and not for profits30 | Mobility, Physical activity, Social activity and symptoms/problems |
WEL-Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle31 32 | 0.61–0.89 | 0.88 | Good concurrent validity with Testwell and other scales. Good face validity | Yes | Responsive to intervention in a 4 week RCT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 134 items, 12 subscales | Moderate | Culturally adapted to Korean, Hebrew and Turkish and different age groups | $360 for 500 patients33 | Spirituality, Self-regulation, Work and leisure, Friendship, Love, Total self-regulation, Perceived wellness and Total wellness |
SEQOL-Self-evaluation of Quality of Life34 | 0.75 | >0.8 | Good concurrent validity with NHP and SCREENQOL. Acceptable construct validity, external reliability | Yes | 111 respondents needed to detect a 3% difference | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 317 items | Easy | Not Determined | Free for research purposes. (From email to author) | Well-being, satisfaction, Happiness, Family work and Leisure, Fulfilment of needs, Satisfaction with relationships, Realising life potential, Objective factors and Overall QOL |
SCL-90-R-Symptom Checklist 90 R35–37 | 0.97 | Unknown | Good concurrent, construct validity and convergence validity | Yes | Set in present | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 90 items, 12–15 items | 6th Grade Level | Many languages | 50 patients $12138 | Somatisation (SOM), Obsessive-Compulsive (OBS), Interpersonal Sensitivity (INT), Depression (DEP), Anxiety (ANX), Hostility (HOS), Phobic Anxiety (PHOB), Paranoid Ideation (PAR), and Psychoticism (PSY). The global measures are referred to as the Global Severity Index (GSI), the Positive Symptom Distress Index (PSDI), and the Positive Symptom Total (PST) |
FS-Friendship Scale39 | 0.81 | Unknown | Good concurrent validity with WHOQOL-Bref, AQol, SF-12MCS and PCS. Good discriminant validity | Older Adults | Set in the present | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 items | Easy | Not documented | Author passed away, likely free | Friendship |
HUI-3-Health utilities index328 | Not appropriate | Moderate or better κ for 8/10 questions | Good face and predictive validity | Yes | Set in the present | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5–10 min | Complex | Many languages | $5000 for HUI340 | Vision, Hearing, Speech, Ambulation, Dexterity, Emotion, Cognition and Pain |
NHP-Nottingham Health Profile28 41 42 | 0.72 | 0.93 | Poor discriminant validity, 50% answered no to all 38 questions. Poor multidimensionality (high-factor intercorrelations) | Yes | Set in the present, but mode is zero so likely has poor responsiveness | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 items, 5–10 min | Easy | Many languages | Not Free43 | Emotional, Social and Physical |
mHAQ-Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire44 | 0.87 | Unknown | Many patients scored 0. Poor discriminant validity. Good construct validity, Good convergent validity with WHODAS | No. Mainly used in arthritic patients | Set in present | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 items | Easy | Many languages | Free to use45 | Activities of Daily Living |
LSIA-Life Satisfaction Inventory A46 47 | 0.76 | ICC=0.87 | Good Concurrent validity. Poor multidimensionality (high-factor intercorrelations) | Yes | Not responsive, looks back onto life | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 items—10 min | Moderate | Only English | Free to use46 | Zest, Resolution, Congruence and Self-concept |
SEIQOL-DW-Schedule for the evaluation of individual quality of life—Direct Weighting48–51 | Not appropriate | κ=0.51 after 1 week retest correlations in stable patients (Moderate) | Good construct, convergent, discriminant validity for well-being, moderate to poor discriminant validity for health | Not Suitable | Poor responsiveness to interventions. Further research needed | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 min | Moderate | Many languages | Free for research purposes 50 | Physical, Emotional and Family |
Each property for every tool was assessed for quality using the criteria in table 2. If a property for a tool was ‘high quality’, it was scored +1 and the cell for that property was coloured green. For properties of tools that were of ‘average quality’ the cell was scored +0.5 and coloured yellow. For properties of tools that were ‘low quality’, cells were scored −1 and coloured red. The composite score was the summation of scores for all non-missing properties divided by the number of non-missing properties available for that tool. Tools are ranked from highest to lowest in this table based on their composite scores.
ICC, intraclass correlation coefficient.