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World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Questionnaire
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About World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Questionnaire
Scale Name
World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Questionnaire
Author Details
WHO
Translation Availability
Background/Description
Understanding how individuals perceive their own lives lies at the heart of the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL). This tool, developed meticulously by a global consortium, delves into the subjective experiences of individuals, providing a valuable window into their overall well-being across various domains.
Breaking away from a purely medical definition, the WHOQOL recognizes quality of life as an individual’s personal perception of their position in life within the context of their culture, values, and aspirations. This holistic approach acknowledges that well-being encompasses more than just physical health; it includes psychological, social, and environmental dimensions as well.
Born in the late 1980s, the WHOQOL emerged from a collaborative effort between the WHO and 15 international field centers. Their shared vision was to create a cross-culturally applicable tool that could assess quality of life in diverse populations, regardless of their background or circumstances. This ambitious undertaking resulted in two versions of the questionnaire:
- WHOQOL-100: A comprehensive 100-item instrument covering all aspects of quality of life in detail.
- WHOQOL-BREF: A shorter 26-item version designed for rapid assessment in research or clinical settings.
Both versions assess four core domains:
- Physical health: This section explores physical pain and discomfort, energy levels, mobility, sleep, and other aspects of physical well-being.
- Psychological health: This domain delves into feelings of positive well-being, negative emotions, self-esteem, body image, and spirituality/religious beliefs.
- Social relationships: This section examines the quality of relationships with family, friends, and the wider community, as well as social support and isolation.
- Environment: This domain assesses the individual’s perception of their physical and social environment, including financial resources, safety, access to healthcare, and opportunities for leisure activities.
The WHOQOL has become a widely used tool in research, clinical practice, and public health initiatives globally. It has been translated into over 100 languages and adapted for specific populations, such as those living with chronic illnesses or in war-torn regions. Its flexibility and cultural sensitivity make it a valuable resource for understanding and improving well-being across diverse contexts.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL) offers several advantages in terms of its administration, making it adaptable to diverse research and clinical settings. Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects:
Self-reported: The WHOQOL is entirely self-administered, meaning participants answer the questions themselves without needing an interviewer. This promotes privacy and reduces potential bias introduced by interviewers.
Multiple formats: Both WHOQOL-100 and WHOQOL-BREF versions are available in paper-and-pencil, online, and computer-assisted interview (CAI) formats. This flexibility allows researchers and clinicians to choose the method that best suits their needs and resources.
Language options: Translated versions of the WHOQOL exist in over 100 languages, ensuring its accessibility to diverse populations across the globe. This cultural sensitivity is crucial for accurately capturing subjective experiences of well-being.
Training and resources: The WHO provides training materials and resources for researchers and clinicians who wish to administer the WHOQOL. These resources include detailed manuals, scoring guides, and technical support to ensure proper implementation and interpretation of the results.
Ethical considerations: Informed consent is essential before administering the WHOQOL. Participants should be aware of the purpose of the questionnaire, how their data will be used, and their right to withdraw at any time. Confidentiality and anonymity should be maintained throughout the process.
Time investment: Completing the WHOQOL-100 takes approximately 20-30 minutes, while the WHOQOL-BREF can be completed in about 10-15 minutes. The shorter version is often preferred in clinical settings or when time constraints exist.
Scoring and interpretation: Scoring manuals and software are available to facilitate the calculation of domain and overall quality of life scores. Interpreting these scores requires careful consideration of the context and individual circumstances of the participants.
Reliability and Validity
The World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL) has earned its reputation as a reliable and valid tool for assessing well-being across diverse populations. But what exactly do these terms mean, and how does the WHOQOL measure up?
Reliability: This refers to the consistency and stability of the questionnaire’s measurements. In simple terms, if you administer the WHOQOL to the same individual twice close together, will you get similar results?
- Internal consistency: The WHOQOL demonstrates good internal consistency within each domain and overall, meaning items within each domain measure the same concept consistently. Cronbach’s alpha values generally exceed 0.70, indicating acceptable to good internal consistency.
- Test-retest reliability: Studies show moderate to high test-retest reliability, meaning scores remain relatively stable over time when individuals retake the questionnaire after a short interval.
Validity: This refers to the extent to which the questionnaire actually measures what it claims to measure. In the case of the WHOQOL, it means assessing whether it accurately reflects individuals’ perceptions of their quality of life across various domains.
- Content validity: The WHOQOL’s content was developed through extensive international collaboration and field testing, ensuring it covers relevant aspects of quality of life across cultures.
- Criterion validity: The WHOQOL correlates well with other established measures of quality of life, such as the Short Form-36, suggesting it captures similar concepts.
- Construct validity: The questionnaire’s four domains align with theoretical models of well-being, and factor analysis supports the hypothesized structure of the instrument.
Available Versions
100-Items
26-Items
Reference
Whoqol Group. (1998). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychological medicine, 28(3), 551-558.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the WHOQOL?
A: A tool to measure individual’s perception of their well-being across physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains.
Q: Why is it used?
A: Assess well-being in research, clinical practice, and public health initiatives.
Q: Are there different versions?
A: Yes, WHOQOL-100 (detailed) and WHOQOL-BREF (shorter).
Q: How is it administered?
A: Self-reported, paper/online/computer formats, available in 100+ languages.
Q: Is it reliable and valid?
A: Yes, good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity across cultures.
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