Testing Dutch and French translations of the SF-36 Health Survey among Belgian angina patients.

The psychometric properties of the Belgian Dutch and French translations of the SF-36 Health Survey were evaluated in a sample of 4448 Belgian patients with angina enrolled in a 6-month treatment study. Missing data were rare (<2%), and tests of both item internal consistency and item discriminant validity were satisfactory in both languages. Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged from 0.81 to 0.91 (Dutch) and 0.82 to 0.92 (French). SF-36 scales discriminated between groups of patients differing in age and in the number of weekly angina attacks, change over 6 months in the number of weekly angina attacks and physician assessment of change in physical condition both were significantly related to changes in SF-36 scale scores. On average, scale scores for French-speaking patients were lower than for Dutch-speaking patients, most notably for Vitality and Mental Health. The average change in SF-36 scale scores over 6 months, in relation to change in clinical criteria, was similar in both language groups. The psychometric properties of the Belgian Dutch and French translations should be tested further in Belgium to determine whether the generally favorable results reported here can be replicated in other samples.