Quality of well‐being in older people with osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE: To examine the sensitivity of the Quality of Well-Being Scale (QWB) as a measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: The QWB was administered, along with the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS) and other health measures. Health care utilization data were also obtained. RESULTS: People with OA had a mean QWB score of 0.643. The QWB scores were significantly correlated with total AIMS scores, self-rated health status, health care costs, depression scores, and most AIMS subscales. In addition, changes in QWB scores after 1 year were significantly correlated with changes in total AIMS scores and some AIMS subscales. CONCLUSION: The QWB appears to be a useful and sensitive generic, utility-based measure of HRQOL in people with OA.