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A better tool for measuring the health of Canadians

The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form (SF-36) is a widely cited measure of health-related quality of life that is used in approximately 40 countries. A team of scientists has established the first Canadian normative data for the SF-36 by using data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, a prospective cohort study involving 9423 men and women. The normative data are the key to determining whether a group or an individual scores above or below the average for their country. The authors report that men scored higher than women on all parts of the SF-36 and that Canadians scored higher than US and UK counterparts in several domains.

Canadian normative data for the SF-36 health survey -- W.M. Hopman et al

The Canadian SF-36 health survey: Normative data add to its value -- S.W. Dauphinee

Additional contact: Dr. Sharon Wood-Dauphinee, Professor, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal
tel 514-398-4501

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