Validation of the Arabic version of the “12-item short-form health survey” (SF-12) in a sample of Lebanese adults

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, quality of life measures can be used alongside some types of assessment to give valuable information that can identify areas that influence an individual and help the clinician make the best healthcare choices. This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the 12-item short-form health survey (SF-12) in a sample of Lebanese adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study performed between July and November 2019 recruited 269 participants. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability of the SF-12 questionnaire, and a factor analysis using the principal component analysis was performed to confirm its construct validity. RESULTS: The mean score for the “physical component summary (PCS-12)” was 50.27 ± 8.94 (95 % CI: 49.18–51.36) and for the “Mental component summary (MCS-12)” was 44.95 ± 12.17 (95 % CI: 43.47–46.43). A satisfactory Cronbach’s alpha was found for the two components: MCS (α = 0.707) and PCS (α = 0.743). The principal component analysis converged over a two-factor solution (physical and mental), explaining a total variance of 55.75 %. Correlations between the SF-12 scales and single items were significant, showing a good construct validity. The “physical functioning”, “role physical”, “bodily pain”, and “general health” subscales were highly associated with “PCS-12”, while the “vitality”, “social functioning”, “role emotional”, and “mental health” subscales were more associated with MCS-12. CONCLUSIONS: The Arabic version of the SF-12 is a reliable, easy-to-use, and valid tool to measure health-related quality of life in the general population. Future studies using a larger sample size and focusing on questionnaire psychometric properties are necessary to confirm our findings.