Quality of life assessment instruments for adults: a systematic review of population-based studies

Abstract

Background: Against a backdrop of population aging and improving survival rates for chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCD), researchers are placing growing emphasis on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to identify the QoL assessment instruments used in population-based studies with adults conducted around the world. Methods: A systematic review of original research published in all languages between 2008 and 2018 was conducted. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were excluded. Results: Sixty-three articles (38.1% conducted in the Americas) fitted the eligibility criteria. Based on the AHRQ checklist for cross-sectional studies and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort studies, methodological quality was shown to be fair in the majority of studies (55.6%) and good in 44.4%. The country with the highest number of publications was Brazil (20.6%). Twelve types of generic instruments and 11 specific instruments were identified. The generic instrument SF-36 was the most frequently used measure (33.3% of studies). In-home interviewing was exclusively used by 47.6% of the studies, while 39 studies (61.9%) reported the use of self-administered questionnaires. Over two-thirds of the studies (34.9%) used questionnaires to investigate the association between chronic diseases and/or associated factors. Conclusions: It was concluded that the wide range of instruments and modes of questionnaire administration used by the studies may hinder comparisons between population groups with the same characteristics or needs. There is a lack of research on QoL and the factors affecting productive capacity. Studies of QoL in older persons should focus not only on the effects of disease and treatment, but also on the determinants of active aging and actions designed to promote it. Further research is recommended to determine which QoL instruments are best suited for population-based studies.

Psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF(PT) in a sample of elderly citizens

“…Based on the above, an assessment that is capable of capturing the dynamic interaction between the individuals' external living conditions and their internal perception of these conditions has been progressively claimed [14,15]. This is one of the main reasons why measuring individuals' quality of life (QOL) is becoming increasingly popular, with the aim of capturing individuals' perception of their own health and their hopes, expectations and feelings after the delivery of health care [12,16]. Additionally, QOL assessment has also been considered an important outcome of healthcare delivering in different clinical scenarios [17].…”

The effectiveness of non-pharmacological or non-surgical interventions on the Health Related Quality of Life of People with Parkinson's Disease: a protocol of systematic review of randomized controlled trials

“…Still, the adequate selection of the evaluation instruments is of remarkable recognition and value, preferably those speci c to the context under analysis, as these can produce results that are closer and more reliable to the reality under study (23). On this subject, the present review showed that, despite the majority of studies using speci c HRQoL questionnaires for PD, some researchers choose general assessment instruments.…”

How Does Gender Influence Oral Health and Quality of Life?

“…The second category analyses factors resulting from the disease itself (disease-speci c). This category is important because of its ability to assess the patient's well-being, the severity of symptoms, the impact of the disease on both emotional state and daily -social and occupational -activities [29]. There are numerous questionnaires available for measuring OHRQoL, however, the most frequently used questionnaires include Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) and Oral Health Impact Pro le (OHIP) containing 49 or 14 items (OHIP-49, OHIP-14).…”