EQ-5D-3L Population Norms for Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

Objective Quality of life measures are increasingly being used in clinical practice and in research. Internationally EQ-5D is the most commonly used generic health related quality of life instrument. The EQ-5D system comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, ability to conduct usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. This study sought to provide a set of population norms for Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate clinical and other researchers who wish to use the EQ-5D-3L value set that was recently created for Trinidad and Tobago. Population norms are baseline values against which the EQ-5D health status of patients or patient groups can be compared. Methods Self-reported health data using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire were taken from two previously undertaken surveys of representative samples of the Trinidad and Tobago population. EQ-5D-3L health states, mean EQ VAS (visual analogue scale) scores and mean EQ-5D-3L index values were obtained for demographic groups. Results Data were obtained for 590 respondents. The mean EQ VAS value was 82.3 and the mean EQ-5D-3L index value was 0.931. The EQ-5D dimensions with the highest rates of reported problems were pain/discomfort (29%) and anxiety/depression (14%). Self-reported health was observed to decline as age progresses and men reported higher levels of health than women. Conclusion The population norms in this study can be used as base-line values for key demographic groups in clinical practice and in clinico-economic research using EQ-5D-3L.