Health-Related Quality of Life of Young Chinese Civil Servants Working in Local Government: Comparison of SF-12 and EQ5D

Abstract

As the occupational group that delivers public services, civil servants confront a particular working property and environment. Previous studies indicate that this professional group suffers from issues of occupational health, especially mental problems. This study investigates the group’s general health condition from the perspective of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The samples of the study consist of young civil servants working in the local government agencies of six relatively economically developed cities in eastern China. The five-dimensional European quality of health scale (EQ5D) and the twelve-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) are employed. We will compare the measuring differences between two measurements and discussed the feasibility of combing two. Results indicate that 75.5 % of the respondents have an undergraduate-level educational degree and below and that 72.7 % of the job position consists of the township staff level and below. The participants report unfavorable HRQOL measurement scores, particularly in the dimension of mental health. Low education and employment grade are two important negative factors. The dimensions of SF-12 and EQ5D are significantly correlated. EQ5D is more sensitive to the gender factor, whereas SF-12 has a higher sensitivity to the employment grade factor. We suggest that the results of these two scales are comparable and that they complement each other.