Description

The World Health Organization Quality of Life – Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF-26) is a shortened version of the original WHOQOL-100 questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). It consists of 26 questions designed to assess an individual’s perceived quality of life across multiple dimensions.

The WHOQOL-BREF provides a comprehensive evaluation of quality of life by examining not only physical health but also psychological functioning, social relationships, and environmental conditions.

Objective

The primary objective of the WHOQOL-BREF is to provide a concise but comprehensive assessment of an individual’s quality of life while considering different aspects of personal functioning and life experience.

The scale aims to identify areas requiring improvement in order to enhance quality of life at both individual and population levels. It is also used to monitor changes in quality of life over time, particularly among individuals receiving treatment or participating in intervention programmes.

Structure and Content

The WHOQOL-BREF consists of four main domains of quality of life.

Physical Health evaluates aspects such as energy levels, mobility, pain, sleep, and ability to work.

Psychological Health assesses emotional functioning, thinking, learning, self-esteem, and spiritual satisfaction.

Social Relationships examines interpersonal relationships, social support, and sexual life.

Environment evaluates financial resources, personal safety, access to healthcare services, living conditions, and the quality of the physical environment.

Scoring Method

Participants respond to the WHOQOL-BREF items using a Likert-type scale, providing subjective evaluations of their quality of life in each domain.

Scores are calculated separately for each domain and may also be combined to provide an overall indication of perceived quality of life. Higher scores indicate better perceived quality of life.

Data Analysis and Use

The data collected from the WHOQOL-BREF are analysed to evaluate quality of life in each domain separately and overall.

The main statistical analyses include:

Reliability analysis, which examines the internal consistency of items within each domain using indicators such as Cronbach’s alpha.

Statistical analysis, which examines relationships between the four domains and other variables, such as health status and social support.

Comparative analysis, which allows comparisons of quality-of-life levels between different groups, including age groups, socioeconomic categories, or populations with different health conditions.

The results can be used in clinical and research studies to identify factors influencing quality of life and evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare interventions.

Calibration

The calibration process of the WHOQOL-BREF includes the evaluation of its psychometric properties.

Reliability analysis is conducted to determine the internal consistency of the four domains and ensure that the items consistently measure quality of life.

Factor analysis is used to confirm the underlying structure of the questionnaire and support its construct validity.

Validation studies are performed in different populations and cultural contexts to ensure the applicability, reliability, and cross-cultural suitability of the instrument.

Applications

The WHOQOL-BREF-26 is widely applied in health research, clinical psychology, public health studies, rehabilitation programmes, and evaluation of medical or psychosocial interventions.

It is particularly useful for assessing patient-reported outcomes, studying the impact of chronic diseases, evaluating psychological well-being, and examining social and environmental factors affecting quality of life.

References

The WHOQOL Group. (1998). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychological Medicine, 28(3), 551–558.

Skevington, S. M., Lotfy, M., & O’Connell, K. A. (2004). The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. Quality of Life Research, 13(2), 299–310.

Harper, A., & Power, M. (1998). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Quality of Life Research, 7(9), 883–890.