Waiving points of order against the conference report to accompany H.R. 2528, Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2006 : report (to accompany H. Res. 564).

"November 18 (legislative day, November 17), 2005."

Overweight/Obesity and Quality of Life: A Comparison of Mexican and Mexican-American Adolescents

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

WHOQOL-BREF as a measure of quality of life in older patients with depression

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of a brief measure of quality of life recently developed by the World Health Organization, the WHOQOL-BREF, and to examine its association with a variety of clinical and sociodemographic factors in older depressed patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Older depressed patients (N=41) underwent diagnostic assessment using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and were independently assessed on a variety of measures including the WHOQOL-BREF (a 26-item self-report questionnaire generating four domain scores), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D); Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE); Modified Barthel Index (MBI); Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and measures of physical health status and social relationships. Estimates of inter-rater and test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity were made. Results: 39 subjects completed the study. The majority of subjects (94.9%) received a diagnosis of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder. Levels of comorbidity were high. Three of the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (Physical, Psychological and Environment domains) demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity. However, the Social Relationships domain exhibited poor validity. Quality of life scores were strongly correlated with severity of depression, number of self-reported physical symptoms and self-assessed general health status. There was no relationship between diagnostic comorbidity and quality of life scores. Conclusions: The WHOQOL-BREF was successfully administered to older depressed patients although the concurrent validity of one of its four domains was poor. Quality of life scores were strongly correlated with severity of depression, raising the issue of measurement redundancy.

Meaning-based quality-of-life measurement: A way forward in conceptualizing and measuring client outcomes?

Despite current imperatives to measure client outcomes, social workers have expressed frustration with the ability of traditional forms of quantitative methods to engage with complexity, individuality and meaning. This paper argues that the inclusion of a meaning-based as opposed to a function-based approach to quality of life (QOL) may offer a quantitative means of measurement that is congruent with social-work values and practice.

The effect of service evaluations on behavioral intentions and quality of life

Understanding the contribution of marketing to economic and social outcomes is fundamental to broadening the focus of marketing. The authors develop a comprehensive model that integrates the impact of service quality and service satisfaction on both economic and societal outcomes. The model is validated using two random samples involving intensive health services. The results indicate that service quality and service satisfaction significantly enhance quality of life and behavioral intentions, highlighting that customer service has social as well as economic outcomes. This is an important finding given the movement toward recognizing social and environmental outcomes, such as emphasized through triple bottom-line reporting. The findings have important implications for managing service processes, for improving the quality of life of customers, and for enhancing customers' behavioral intentions toward the organization.

Asymptomatic long-term survivors of coronary artery bypass surgery enjoy a quality of life equal to the general population

Background Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among long-term survivors of coronary artery bypass surgery is an important outcome that has been little studied at the population level. Methods A postal survey was conducted in 1999 to 2000 in patients 6 to 20 years after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in Western-Australia. A random stratified sample of 2500 was drawn from 8910 patients who had their first CABG surgery in 1980 to 1993. Health-related quality of life was measured with Short Form 36 and EuroQol visual analogue scale. Results Response was 82% (n = 2061). Health-related quality of life declined with age and was similar for men and women, although scores for women were worse for physical functioning. Compared with Australian population norms, the age- and sex-standardized scores of survivors of CABG were generally worse, mainly in the physical domain. Reported angina at the time of follow-up (33%), symptoms of heart failure equivalent to New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes II to IV (34%), and comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension were associated with poorer HRQOL. For both men and women without angina or heart failure at follow-up, HRQOL was no different from that of the general population. Conclusion Overall, the quality of life among long-term survivors of CABG is worse than that of the general population, the difference being mainly attributable to recurrent symptoms and comorbidities. Quality of life for those without angina or heart failure at follow-up was equivalent to the population norms, providing an incentive to maximize efforts to abolish angina and ameliorate heart failure symptoms.

Quality-of-life in children and adolescents with cystic fibrosis managed in both regional outreach and cystic fibrosis center settings in Queensland

To assess the health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) of children/adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF) and compare HRQOL in children managed by cystic fibrosis outreach service (CFOS) with those treated in a cystic fibrosis center (CFC). To compare HRQOL of children with CF in Queensland with previously published HRQOL data from the United States and examine the relationship between HRQOL scores and pulmonary function. Study design: Participants were children/adolescents with CF and their parents managed by the Royal Children’s Hospital Queensland at a CFC or CFOS. Two HRQOL surveys were used: PedsQL™ and Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire (CFQ). Results: There were 91 CFC and 71 CFOS participants with similar demographics. PedsQL™ total summary score was statistically higher in CFOS, P = .05. There was no significant difference in CFQ scores between groups. Queensland parents reported lower HRQOL for their children compared with US parents (P

The development of a new measure of quality of life for children with congenital cardiac disease

The purpose of the study was to develop a questionnaire measuring health-related R1 quality of life for children and adolescents with congenital heart disease, the ConQol, that would have both clinical and research applications. We describe here the process of construction of a questionnaire, the piloting and the development of a weighted scoring system, and data on the psychometric performance of the measure in a sample of 640 children and young people recruited via 6 regional centres for paediatric cardiology from across the United Kingdom. The ConQol has two versions, one designed for children aged from 8 to 11 years, and the other for young people aged from 12 to 16 years. Initial findings suggest that it is a valid and reliable instrument, is acceptable to respondents, and is simple to administer in both a research and clinical context.