QWB- Quality of Well Being Scale

Generic-Specific Modules

Measure domains: Mobility; physical activity; social activity; symptom problem complex

Summary of development:

The QWB is a health utility measure designed for adults that has been used for children. The QWB was developed to evaluate health policies by comparing the health outcomes of different disease populations. The QWB comprises four scales that focus on the physical impact of an illness. The QWB utilizes a 3-day follow-back format.  Proxy-administration is recommended for children under age 14.

It is important to note that health utility scales that are made in the econometric tradition, such as the QWB, do not necessarily need psychometric testing such as internal consistency or structural validity.  For these measures, other types of validity such as known groups validity and convergent validity may be useful.

Kaplan RM, Bush JW, Berry CC. Health status: types of validity and the index of well-being. Health Serv Res. 1976;11(4):478–507.

Additional information

Number of Items

61

Time Frame/Recall Period

Functional level: general, symptoms: past 3 days except today

Measurement Type

Utility Score

Overall Score

Yes

Sub scores/Subscales

Mobility; physical activity; social activity; symptom problem complex

Ages

All ages

Respondent

Adult, child, Observer

Languages

Chinese, English, French, Others, Spanish

Development Used Experts

Kaplan 1976; Kaplan 1978; Kaplan 1982; Kaplan 1988; Kaplan 1989

Development Used Patient

Kaplan 1976

Internal Consistency

Bradlyn 1993

Divergent Validity with Other Measures

Dickerson 2018

Responsive to Change

Munzenberger 1999; Tilford 2007; Dickerson 2018

Estimate of Important Difference

Olinde 2008; Dickerson 2018

Measure Website

https://hoap.ucsd.edu/qwb-info/default.aspx, https://scireproject.com/outcome/quality-of-well-being-qwb-and-quality-of-well-being-self-administered-qwb-sa/

Licensing

Yes

Fees

Yes