Background-A number of indexes measuring self-reported generic health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) using preference-weighted scoring are used widely in population surveys and clinical studies in the U.S.

Significant improvements in HRQoL at the population level will only be possible if we improve the HRQoL of people at the lowest end of the socioeconomic distribution.

These data suggest that there may be significant differences between patient assessments and performance-based measurements of ADL functioning in hospitalized elderly at time of discharge. These differences may have implications for the collection of functional measurements for discharge planning or for geriatric research in the hospital environment.

There is a high incidence of falls after hospital discharge, particularly among patients who are functionally dependent. Further study is needed to determine to what extent acute illness and hospitalization may influence falls risk.

Six commonly used HRQoL indexes and two of three health status summary measures indicated lower HRQoL with obesity and overweight than with normal BMI, but the degree of decrement varied by index. The association appeared driven primarily by physical health, although mental health also played a role among women. Counter to hypotheses, blacks may have highest HRQoL when overweight.