Quality of service information (QoSI) is included with a compressed header of a data packet and can be utilized by nodes supporting the header compression channel to perform QoS enforcements at a sub-flow granularity level. A basic mode of a method comprises (1) processing a packet using a process having a process-associated quality of service requirement to form a processed packet, and (2) including, with a compressed header for the processed packet, the header-included quality of service information which is derived using information indicative of the process-associated quality of service requirement. In another mode the header-included quality of service information is derived both from the process-associated quality of service requirement and quality of service information extracted from the received packet.