Kontakt 2020, 22(1):16-26 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2020.003

The quality of health of the Czech population at the age of 40+ using the Short Form - 36 (SF-36) questionnaireNursing - Original article

Sylva Bártlová^1,*, Valérie Tóthová¹, Ivana Chloubová¹, Lenka Šedová¹, Věra Olišarová¹, Helena Michálková¹, Jitka Prajsová²

¹ University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Emergency Care, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

² Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Department of Social Work

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the main causes of death in many developed countries as well as developing countries. Health support and preventative activities are significant in health care as well as nursing. The main goal was to map the contemporary state of the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in people at the age of 40 and older. We aimed to find the level of the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, the largest drawbacks from the people's point of view, and the people's ideas on how to increase the effectiveness of such prevention. The goal of this study was to verify the Czech version of the shortened version of the SF-36 questionnaire. We used a quantitative methodology with questionnaires. In one part, we used the RAND 36 - Item Health Survey (SF-36) standardized questionnaire, which is used for finding out the quality of life regarding health. The Czech version of this questionnaire was verified in 2016 using 1,992 people at the age of 40 and older. Czech citizens at the age of 40 and older best assessed the social domain. Their quality of life is at a high level regarding the emotional domain (low level of emotional problems). On the contrary, vitality (energy/fatigue) and total health had worse assessments. The differences between men and women regarding individual domains are minimal. With age, the quality of life in this area is lower. The Czech version of the Short Form - 36 questionnaire is used a lot in the Czech Republic. It was validated when it was used in our sample group. The research provided the primary data that allowed statistical calculations and the application of testing criteria so that it was possible to create the norms of this questionnaire that could be applied in the Czech Republic.

Keywords: Measuring tool; Prevention of cardiovascular disease; Quality of life; Reliability; Validity

Received: December 2, 2019; Revised: January 21, 2020; Accepted: January 31, 2020; Prepublished online: February 12, 2020; Published: February 28, 2020  Show citation