Multivariate analysis of health status scores: chronic airway disorders and the MOS SF-36.

Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with follow-up canonical discriminant analysis may be used to interpret differences in health-related quality of life measured by the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 (MOS SF-36). Due to the moderate correlations between the 8 health dimensions of the SF-36, MANOVA is theoretically a more appropriate method than traditional univariate approaches for detecting group differences on the SF-36. Additionally, canonical discriminant analysis presents a novel approach to understanding the relationship between health dimensions of the SF-36 and model-independent variables. Results from the MANOVA and canonical discriminant analysis provide evidence of the sensitivity of the SF-36 in cross-sectional, self-reported data. Significant differences in health status (alpha less than or equal to 0.05) were found for the variables of age, and primary physician visits, and between levels of disease severity, type of breathing problem, whether patients had seen a specialist or not, use of emergency room, the comorbid states of depression and arthritis, and income. No significant differences in health status were reported between males and females or racial groups.