Perceived Health Scale – PHS
Measures an individual's subjective assessment of their physical health, age-comparative health, and health-related worry and interference.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Perceived Health Scale – PHS was developed by Hooker, K., Monahan, D., Shifren, K., & Hutchinson, C. (1992). It is designed to measure Perceived Health. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 4 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = 1 (Very Poor / Very Little / Much Worse), 2 = 2 (Poor / Little / Worse), 3 = 3 (Fair / Somewhat / Same), 4 = 4 (Good / Much / Better), 5 = 5 (Excellent / Very Much / Much Better).
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 4 to 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Poor Perceived Health: 4 – 9
- Fair Perceived Health: 10 – 15
- Good Perceived Health: 16 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.