[The SF-36 in the Federal Health Survey--possibilities and requirements for application at the population level].

The SF-36 Questionnaire is an internationally accepted instrument for measuring therapeutic success by subjective assessment of health-related quality of life, done by patient groups. It remains to be seen to what extent this instrument is suitable for measuring the subjective health status of population groups or changes thereof. The answers to the SF-36 Questionnaire in the German National Health Examination and Interview Survey together with information about other health parameters allow deeper evaluation of the features of this instrument. A new approach to establishing a model revesling the association between age, social status, morbidity and the SF-36 Scales is discussed.