Measuring health-related quality of life with the SF-8: German norms from a representative self-administered survey

The Short-Form Health Survey SF-8 is used to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL), an important outcome measure in clinical studies and public health research. The questionnaire is a short form of the commonly used SF-36, which measures eight dimensions of HRQoL and allows calculation of two summary scales of Physical and Mental Health. In 2004, the SF-8 was applied in a nationwide omnibus survey. For the first time, representative normative data of the SF-8 (N = 2,552) based on a paper-and-pencil interview are reported for the German population. The reference data are presented for age and sex groups and are analysed for correlations with socio-demographic characteristics. Rare missing values in its items indicate proper acceptance of the measure. Even though being afflicted with ceiling effects in several subscales, the application of the SF-8 is recommended on account of its brevity.