SF-36 predicts 13-year CHD incidence in a middle-aged Swedish general population, 2019, Nilsson et al

[Andy]

Thought this might be of interest to see SF-36 used elsewhere.

Purpose
To study the predictive ability of each of the eight scales of SF-36 on 13-year all-cause mortality and incident coronary heart disease (CHD) in a general middle-aged population.

Methods
The population-based, longitudinal “Life-conditions, Stress and Health” study, in 2003–2004 enrolled 1007 persons aged 45–69 years (50% female), randomly sampled from the general population in Östergötland, Sweden. Variables at baseline included the SF-36 (health-related quality of life, HRQoL) and self-reported disease. Incident CHD (morbidity and mortality) and all-cause mortality data for the study population during the first 13 years from baseline were obtained from national Swedish registries.

Results
Seven of the eight SF-36 scales predicted CHD (sex- and age-adjusted Hazard Ratios up to 2.15; p ≤ 0.05), while only the Physical Functioning scale significantly predicted all-cause mortality. Further adjustments for presence of (self-reported) disease did not, in most cases, alter these significant predictions.

Conclusion
Low SF-36 scores predict risk of CHD, also after adjustment for present disease, supporting the biopsychosocial model of health and disease. Measures of HRQoL yield important information and can add to the cardiopreventive toolbox, including primary prevention efforts, as it is such a simple and relatively inexpensive tool.

Open access, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-019-02362-y

 

[Snow Leopard]

Seems rather non-specific to me.

 

[rvallee]

Low SF-36 scores predict risk of CHD, also after adjustment for present disease, supporting the biopsychosocial model of health and disease

Uh, wat? How does that even follow? It's really a tell of how truly fragile the BPS model is that even after decades its proponents still find it necessary to randomly sprinkle "BPS is definitely good and useful and not pseudoscience because reasons" even though it's unrelated to the topic. Bit like politicians during campaigns taking questions and randomly repeating campaign slogans unrelated to any of the questions.

I'm just randomly reminded of that time Sharpe tweeted that their BPS model of ME is totally a legit thing and not an ideology. Which of course it 100% is.

It also reminds me of the Bitconnect scam and its super weird presentation where the lead scammer is in off-the-rails obvious con man mode and basically screams that Bitconnect is totally not a scam. Surprise surprise, it was a complete scam, even though he was super insistent it was not a scam and totally legit. Weird how that works.

 

[Wonko]

Surely low SF-36 scores strongly suggest that someone is already quite limited by poor health?

Possibly those in such situations may, already, have cardiac/circulatory issues, at least in part caused by their ill health and the limitations that imposes.

So, low Sf-36 as a predictive tool? Maybe better to, I don't know, say that poor health is bad for people's health - simpler, without the sciency words, more accurate, and without someone being paid to administer a meaningless 'test' that simply says what is already known.