A Review of the Short Form Health Survey–Version 2

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The Short Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) is a commonly used measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The purpose of this study was to review research articles that used the SF-12v2 survey for three age groups: adolescents, young to middle-aged adults, and middle to older-aged adults. METHODS: EBSCO, CINAHL, and Ovid Journal databases were searched, and 12 articles were identified. RESULTS: We found that the SF-12v2 was used with diverse age groups. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.60 to 0.87, which support the internal consistency and reliability. The convergent validity of the SF-12v2 was supported in some studies. CONCLUSIONS: The current line of evidence indicated that the SF-12v2 is easy to use, reliable, and valid. Future research needs to evaluate the population health status and HRQOL changes over time.