Quebec Health-related Quality of Life Population Norms in Adults Using the SF-6Dv2: Decomposition by Sociodemographic Data and Health Problems.

Abstract

The Short-Form 6-Dimension version 2 (SF-6Dv2) is the newest version of the Short-Form 6-Dimension (SF-6D) that is widely used to calculate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The aim of this study was to produce Quebec population norms from the SF-6Dv2. An online survey was conducted in the adult general population. Data was stratified by various sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, sex, body mass index, history of illness, and health problems. A total of 4175 respondents completed the SF-6Dv2. Mean (95% confidence interval) and median (interquartile range) utility scores were 0.692 (0.684-0.700) and 0.780 (0.607-0.866), respectively. Floor and ceiling effect corresponded to 0.05% and 3.1%, respectively. Men, nonsmoker, higher education, and employed people had significantly higher scores, while lower scores were found for those with a history of illness and a lower life satisfaction. Those reporting a health problem presented significant lower mean utility scores ranging from 0.340 (nervous problem) to 0.623 (diabetes) for men and from 0.207 (genitourinary) to 0.578 (diabetes) for women as compared with those without health problem (0.793 for men and 0.750 for women). This study is the first to provide utility score norms for SF-6Dv2 in the adult general population of Quebec. It also highlighted significant differences among various health problems that can be used to compare populations in studies that do not have a control group.