Background The SF-36 is a generic quality of life questionnaire, massively translated and widely used to obtain physical and mental health status. However, validation work in the French language was carried out over a generation ago. The objective of this study was to obtain the norms of the SF-36 in the French young population. Method The sample consisted of 1134 non-pre-screened French people aged between 18 and 39 years. Results The internal consistencies of the scales were high and the metrics associated with the factor structure were satisfactory. In general, women presented significantly higher scores than men. Conclusion Our results suggest that the SF-36 remains a reliable tool for studying quality of life in the young French population.

Background The SF-36 is a generic quality of life questionnaire, massively translated and widely used to obtain physical and mental health status. However, validation work in the French language was carried out over a generation ago. The objective of this study was to obtain the norms of the SF-36 in the French young population. Method The sample consisted of 958 non-pre-screened French people aged between 18 and 24 years. Results The internal consistencies of the scales were high and the metrics associated with the factor structure were satisfactory. In general, women presented significantly higher scores than men. Conclusion Our results suggest that the SF-36 remains a reliable tool for studying quality of life in the young French population.