Skip to main content

ETHNOS_APP

Home • Search • Journals • List 0

Does Being Bilingual in English and Chinese Influence Responses to Quality-of-Life Scales

Bibliographic Data

ID9102553
AuthorsJulian Thumboo (0000-0001-6712-5535, National University Hospital, corresponding author), Kok-Yong Fong, Kok‐Yong Fong (National University), David Machin (Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation), Siew-Pang Chan (0000-0001-6239-6483), Siew‐Pang Chan (Tan Tock Seng Hospital), Chang-Heok Soh (Tan Tock Seng Hospital), Keng-Hong Leong, Keng‐hong Leong (Center for Rheumatology, corresponding author), Pao-Hsii Feng, Pao‐hsii Feng (Center for Rheumatology, corresponding author), Szu-Tien Thio (Center for Rheumatology, corresponding author), Mee-Leng Boey, Mee‐leng Boey (Center for Rheumatology, corresponding author)
Year2002
Volume40
Issue2
Pages105-112
Publication date2002-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedical Care (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/00005650-200202000-00005
PMID11802083
OpenAlexW2091704937
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited21

BACKGROUND: It is not known if the inclusion of bilinguals affects the results of research using Quality-of-Life (QoL) scales. OBJECTIVE: To determine the influence of bilingualism on responses to a QoL scale. RESEARCH DESIGN: In this cross sectional study, a population-based, disproportionately stratified random sample of monolingual and bilingual ethnic Chinese completed the Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) in English or Chinese (representing an alphabet and pictogram based language respectively). Cumulative logit regression models were used to assess the influence of bilingualism on SF-36 scores, while adjusting for the influence of questionnaire language and known determinants of QoL. RESULTS: English or Chinese SF-36 versions were completed by 1331 and 1380 subjects respectively (49% female, aged 21-65 years, 1366 bilingual, 501 English monolingual, 844 Chinese monolingual), with response rates exceeding 85%. Fifty percent of subjects were bilingual. Bilinguals differed from monolinguals in known determinants of QoL, being younger, better educated, and having fewer chronic medical conditions, and had SF-36 scores up to 8 points higher than monolinguals. After adjusting for these differences, bilingualism did not influence scores for any of eight SF-36 scales, whereas questionnaire language influenced scores for four scales. Use of the English SF-36 was associated with higher scores for General Health, Vitality, Role Emotional and Mental Health Scales (odds ratios 1.35-1.41), though the magnitude of these odds ratios suggests this association may not be clinically important. CONCLUSION: Bilingualism did not influence responses to a QoL scale in this large, population-based study of subjects fluent in an alphabet and/or pictogram based language

Disease · Environmental health · Health related quality of life · Logistic regression · Neuroscience of multilingualism · Odds · Odds ratio · Population · Quality of life (healthcare) · SF-36 · Cancer survivorship and care · Demography · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Medicine · Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism · Psychology · Gerontology

  • Does being bilingual in English and Chinese influence changes in quality of life scale scores? Evidence from a prospective, population based study

    Open Access•Julian Thumboo, Yin-Bun Cheung et al.•Quality of Life Research•2005

  • The equivalence of English and Chinese SF-36 versions in bilingual Singapore Chinese

    Open Access•Julian Thumboo, Kok-Yong Fong et al.•Quality of Life Research•2002

  • Modelling Variability of Quality of Life Scores

    Open Access•Yin Bun Cheung, Y-B Cheung et al.•Quality of Life Research•2004

  • Equivalence of Chinese and US–English Versions of the SF-36 Health Survey

    Open Access•Jenny Yu, Stephen Joel Coons et al.•Quality of Life Research•2003

  • Discriminative ability of the Short-Form 36 Health Survey

    Open Access•Yb Cheung, Y-B Cheung et al.•Quality of Life Research•2005

  • Use of the SF-36 in Low-Income Chinese American Primary Care Patients

    Erica I Lubetkin, Haomiao Jia et al.•Medical Care•2003

  • Validating the SF-36 health survey questionnaire

    Open Access•John Brazier, J E Brazier et al.•BMJ•1992

  • Overview of the SF-36 Health Survey and the International Quality of Life Assessment (Iqola) Project

    Open Access•John E Ware, Barbara Gandek•Journal of Clinical Epidemiology•1998

  • A community-based study of scaling assumptions and construct validity of the English (UK) and Chinese (HK) SF-36 in Singapore

    Open Access•Julian Thumboo, Kok‐Yong Fong et al.•Quality of Life Research•2001

  • Association between educational level and health related quality of life in Spanish adults

    Enrique Regidor, Gregorio Barrio et al.•Journal of Epidemiology and…•1999

  • Pitfalls in measuring the health status of Mexican Americans

    Richard A Deyo•American Journal of Public Health•1984

  • Reliability of an Arabic Version of the Rand-36 Health Survey and its Equivalence to the US-English Version

    Stephen Joel Coons, Saud Abdulaziz Alabdulmohsin et al.•Medical Care•1998

  • SF-36 Health Survey

    Doris F Chang, Chi-Ah Chun et al.•Medical Care•2000

  • Cognitive integration of language and memory in bilinguals

    Wendy S Francis•Psychological Bulletin•1999

Unique citing works6
Citations per year0,25
Citation span2002 - 2005 (4)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 6
Ethnos_APP • Open Source Project • MIT License • Frontend v2.0.0 • Privacy and Cookies • API Documentation: api.ethnos.app/docs • API Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17049435 • Frontend Source Code: GitHub • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17050053 • cruz.rio.br • Expectantes Misericordiae