Table 1

Characteristics of subjects and distribution of SF-36 scales and SF-6D index scores.

Subject characteristics (N = 5,224)
N (%) unless specified otherwise

Mean (SD) age in years
40.3 (11.52)
Female gender
2,555 (48.9)
Ethnicity

     Chinese
2,558 (49.0)
     Malay
1,189 (22.8)
     Indian
1,477 (28.3)
Housing type

     Lower cost public housing
388 (7.4)
     Public housing
4,647 (89.0)
     Private housing
188 (3.6)
Years of education

     ≤ 6
1,266 (24.2)
     7–10
2,682 (51.3)
     >10
1,276 (24.4)
Marital status

     Married
3,686 (70.6)
     Single
1,272 (24.3)
     Divorced/Separated
136 (2.6)
     Widow
130 (2.5)
Working
4,022 (75.0)
Smoking
1,045 (20.0)
Presence of acute medical conditions*
3,493 (66.9)
Presence of chronic medical conditions

     Diabetes mellitus
309 (5.9)
     Hypertension
557 (10.7)
     Heart disease
125 (2.4)
     Stroke
32 (0.6)
     Lung diseases
278 (5.3)
     Cancer
35 (0.7)
     Musculoskeletal illnesses
1,389 (26.6)
     Mental illness
136 (2.6)
Prevalence of co-existing chronic medical conditions in people with diabetes mellitus

     Hypertension
115 (37.2)
     Heart disease
46 (14.9)
     Lung diseases
27 (8.7)
     Musculoskeletal illnesses
107 (34.6)
     Mental illnesses
9 (2.9)
Mean (SD) Family Functioning Measure scores
10.3 (2.75)
Mean (SD) SF-36 scores

     Physical functioning (PF)
80.3 (23.19)
     Role-physical (RP)
80.5 (32.94)
     Bodily pain (BP)
78.3 (21.73)
     General health (GH)
68.6 (17.21)
     Vitality (VT)
63.8 (16.98)
     Social functioning (SF)
80.6 (20.48)
     Role-emotional (RE)
79.2 (34.98)
     Mental health (MH)
72.4 (16.70)
Mean (SD) SF-6D index scores
0.77 (0.130)

* Acute medical conditions were self-limiting illnesses and injuries in the preceding one month that might influence SF-36 scores and included acute illnesses (e.g. upper respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis and headaches), injuries or poor sleep. Mean scores adjusted for the influence of diabetes mellitus, other chronic medical conditions (and their interactions), socioeconomic status and other factors. Lung diseases included asthma and other lung diseases; musculoskeletal illnesses included rheumatism, back pain and other bone or muscle illness; mental illness included depression, anxiety disorder and schizophrenia.

Wee et al. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2005 3:2   doi:10.1186/1477-7525-3-2