Estimating Population Norms for the Health-Related Quality of Life of Adults in Southern Jiangsu Province, China

Abstract PurposeHealth-related quality of life (HRQoL) population norms have been published in China but only for urban populations. Moreover, China is large and diverse in culture and social development, and regional population norms may be more appropriate than national norms. The purpose of the study was to derive the HRQoL population norms for adults in southern Jiangsu Province and explored potential influencing factors. MethodsThe data were based on a cross-sectional survey conducted in Liyang City from March 2019 to July 2020. EQ-5D-5L utility scores based on Chinese value set and EQ-VAS scores were used to assess HRQoL. The Tobit regression model and generalized linear model were performed to identify the association among potential covariates and HRQoL. ResultsThe means (95% confidence interval) of the EQ-5D-5L utility scores and VAS scores were 0.981(0.980-0.983) and 83.6(83.2-83.9), respectively. Younger people were more likely to experience problems with anxiety or depression. Lower HRQoL was associated with elderly individuals, lower socioeconomic status, no spouse, lack of regular physical activities, smoking cessation, and chronic non-communicable diseases. Subjects who declared that they were afflicted by diseases presented significantly lower utility scores, ranging from 0.823(0.766-0.880) for memory-related diseases to 0.978 (0.967-0.989) for hepatic diseases. ConclusionsRegional population norms of HRQoL are needed in the health economic study owing to the great socioeconomic differences across regions in China. The present study provides HRQoL population norms for adults in southern Jiangsu. These norm values could help policy makers better allocate limited health resources and prioritize service plans.