Health Measurement: 

Structure, Validity, Reliability, and Responsiveness

March 25, 2008

Physical, psychological, and social aspects of wellbeing can be quantified in many ways. This workshop will examine the validity, reliability, and responsiveness of several of these measures. Most of our examples are obtained from psychological wellbeing, social health, physical condition, and quality of life questionnaires, such as the SF-36 (quality of life), Beck’s depression index, the McGill pain questionnaire, and the Rand Social Health Battery. Throughout this workshop, we will consider the structure and properties of such health status questionnaires, as well as the most profitable applications for them. Construction of these measures through factor analysis and structural equation modeling will also be discussed. Literally thousands of questionnaires related to wellbeing have been developed. The purpose of this workshop is to describe some of the uses for these questionnaires, and to discuss some criteria that can be used in evaluating and selecting among them. It is no surprise that an instrument that performs well in one setting may fail to do so in another. This is the reality of using questionnaires to assess wellbeing. However, we will offer specific examples of such situations in order to help you to identify them in the future. Furthermore, we will illustrate some of the untoward consequences of using the wrong questionnaire for the job.

Instructors:

Chuck Kowalski is a Faculty Associate at CSCAR and Professor in the School of Dentistry at the University of Michigan. He has extensive statistical consulting experience in biomedical contexts, including work with pharmaceutical companies, the Nijmegen Growth Study, and the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic. Currently Chair of U-M’s Health Sciences Institutional Review Board, he is also interested in research ethics, especially with respect to study design and risk/benefit analysis.

Laura Klem is a Senior Research Associate with CSCAR. Her CSCAR responsibilities include consulting on structural equation models and factor analysis.

Audience:

All interested researchers and scholars.

Prerequisite:

Familiarity with basic statistical concepts and procedures: t-tests, ANOVA, correlation, and regression.

Provisions:

The enrollee will receive lecture notes, a bibliography. Morning and afternoon refreshments provided. Break time for lunch (lunch not provided).

Date:

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Time:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location:

Fee:

Registration:

Call CSCAR at 734-764-7828. Enrollment is limited. Make check payable to CSCAR--University of Michigan, or give a University of Michigan short code to be billed. Send check to CSCAR, 3550 Rackham Bldg., University of Michigan, 915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070.