The Equivalence Between The Malay And U.S. English Versions Of Rand 36-Item Health Survey 1.0

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the measurement equivalence of the U.S. English and Malay versions of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 (SF-36v1). METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was utilized where health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for 315 Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients was assessed using the SF-36vl instrument. Both the Malay and U.S. English versions of the instrument were administered to 315 bilingual (Malay and English speakers) Malaysian CKD patients at Penang General Hospital, Penang, Malaysia. Reliability, test-retest and equivalent forms reliability tests were done for the eight scales of each of the two versions. To further assess equivalence, the mean scores of eight scales of the two versions were calculated and compared. RESULTS: Of the 315 consenting participants, 72.4% were females and 27.60% were males. The mean age of participants was 65.8 ± 9.4 years. Majority (72.7%) of participants were Chinese, followed by Malay (21.9) and Indian participants (5.4%). The results supported the equivalence of the two versions through both items and scales comparisons. Cronbach's alpha for the Malay and U.S. English version was quiet similar with values around or slightly exceeding 0.7 in multiple measurements. Wilcoxon tests showed non-significant differences between the mean scores obtained from the two versions for each of its eight scales. CONCLUSIONS: The U.S. English- and Malay-language versions of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0 (SF-36vl).demonstrated equivalence in bilingual Malaysian CKD patients. Our results suggest that the Malay and U.S. English versions can be used interchangeably in further studies for patients who speak either one of the two languages.