Russian population health-related quality of life indicators calculated using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire

Abstract

Objectives. The paper aims was forming the first health-related quality of life population indicators using EQ-5D–3L survey that represents the Russian population by gender and age, as well as by the attained level of education. Material and methods. For compiling population indicators, we use the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire. The study was conducted on the adult Russian population aged 18 to 75 years. A representative sample was 12616 respondents. Results. 59.3 % of the sample is in good health (profile 11111). The proportion of respondents reporting any health problems increases with age. The average score on a 100-point visual analogue scale is 72.4 (standard deviation 18,1; 95 per cent confidence interval from 72,1 to 72,7). Men, on average, tend to assess their health higher than women. However there are no statistically significant differences in health scores among educational groups, taking into account gender and age data. Conclusions. Comparison of health-related quality of life estimations with normative population data allows us to track differences in health between population groups, as well as to analyze the health status and progress in treating patients. The Russian health-related quality indicators from EQ-5D-3L survey are similar to the Hungary population indices, as well as to many European countries, the USA, and Argentina for age cohorts under 45 years of age. For the cohorts of respondents older than 45 years, Russian estimations are much lower than in other countries. This evidence confirms that borrowing scales from other countries for converting EQ-5D-3L values into a preference EQ-5D-3L index is not acceptable for Russian patients, especially for the elderly.

Keywords

• health status
• quality of life questionnaire
• health technology assessment
• eq-5d-3l
• visual analogue scale
• self-assessed health
• quality of life in medicine