Abstract
PurposeTo provide the first Norwegian EQ-5D-5L and EQ VAS population norms for the adult general population.MethodsPostal survey of a random sample of 12,790 Norwegians identified through the National Registry of the Norwegian Tax Administration. Norms, weighted for Norwegian general population characteristics, are shown for the five EQ-5D-5L dimensions, EQ-5D index, and EQ VAS scores for seven age categories, females, males, and education level.ResultsThere were 3200 (25.9%) respondents to 12,263 correctly addressed questionnaires. The EQ-5D-5L dimensions, EQ VAS, and background questions were completed by 3120 (24.6%) respondents. The mean age (SD) was 50.9 (21.7) and range was 18–97 years. The youngest age group of 18–29 years and oldest of 80 years and over had the highest (n = 691) and lowest (n = 239) number of respondents, respectively. Compared to the general population, the respondents comprised a greater number of females, younger and older ages, and had a higher education level. 32% of respondents reported no health problems on the EQ-5D-5L. From the youngest to oldest age groups, there was a general decline in health as assessed by the EQ-5D-5L. The exception was for anxiety/depression, where the youngest age groups had the poorest health. Apart from self-care, women reported poorer health than men, as assessed by the EQ-5D-5L; EQ VAS scores were similar for men and women. Higher levels of health (EQ-5D index, EQ VAS scores) were found with increasing levels of education.ConclusionThe population norms will improve interpretation of EQ-5D-5L and EQ VAS scores in Norwegian applications including clinical practice, clinical and health services research, and national quality registers where EQ-5D-5L is the most widely used patient-reported instrument.
Highlights
The EuroQol EQ-5D is by far the most widely used patientreported health outcome measure (PROM) suitable for use in economic evaluation including cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) calculations [1, 2]
The norms are presented for the five dimensions, EQ-5D index, and EQ VAS scores across age (18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, ≥ 80 years), sex, and education level
This study makes available the first Norwegian population norms for the EQ-5D-5L from the Norwegian general population. These data are highly important to Norwegian users of PROMs in clinical and health services research, and the Norwegian National Quality Registries (NQR), where EQ-5D-5L is by far the most widely used patient-reported instrument
Summary
The EuroQol EQ-5D is by far the most widely used patientreported health outcome measure (PROM) suitable for use in economic evaluation including cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) calculations [1, 2]. The instrument is available in over 150 languages [3], and national value sets and population norms for purposes of scoring and interpretation exist for over 20 countries [4, 5] It is brief, widely tested, and includes five important aspects of health or dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). Most studies reported norms for the EQ-5D-5L dimensions, index, and EQ VAS scores across categories of age and sex, with other socioeconomic variables including education level, being less widely reported [2, 14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26] This is the first study to derive population norms for the EQ-5D-5L by means of a postal survey based on a nationally representative sample of Norwegians adults. The norms are presented for the five dimensions, EQ-5D index, and EQ VAS scores across age (18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, ≥ 80 years), sex, and education level (below/above upper secondary school and short/long higher education)
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