Health-Related Quality of Life and Its Influencing Factors for Elderly Patients With Hypertension: Evidence From Heilongjiang Province, China.

Objective: Hypertension is one of the most common public health issues worldwide. However, few existing studies examining health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were conducted on elderly patients with hypertension in China. Hence, this study aimed to assess the HRQoL of elderly patients with hypertension and its influencing factors using EuroQol five-dimensional-three-level (EQ-5D-3L) in China. Methods: Data were obtained from the 6th National Health Service Survey in Heilongjiang province from June to July 2018, with a stratified multistage random cluster sampling method. All eligible participants were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire, which included the EQ-5D-3L, socio-demographics characteristics, clinical and lifestyle characteristics. The mean EQ-5D index scores for the different subgroups were evaluated using ANOVA. A Tobit regression model was also employed to analyze the potential factors influencing HRQoL. Results: A total of 705 elderly patients with hypertension were included in this study. The mean EQ-5D utility score was 0.79 [standard deviation (SD) = 0.23]. The proportion of participants reporting pain/discomfort problems was the highest (57.0%), while problems in self-care was the lowest (17.2%). Influencing factors of HRQoL for elderly patients with hypertension included gender, age, income, education level, physical activity, health examination and coexisting diseases. Specifically, the female gender, being above 80 years old, having a lower education and/or higher income, and the presence of coexisting diseases were associated with lower utility index. In contrast, regular physical activity and medical examination had a positive impact on the HRQoL of elderly hypertension patients. Conclusion: Overall, elderly patients with hypertension in China have a lower HRQoL than the general population. To improve the HRQoL of elderly patients with hypertension, it is imperative that better public health education is provided to enhance the knowledge of hypertension, encourage the adoption of healthy habits such as regular physical activity and medical examination, and improve the management of coexisting diseases. More care should also be directed to males with hypertension who are above 80 years old.

Assessment of the health utility of patients with leukemia in China.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the health utility of leukemia patients in China using the EQ-5D-5L, compare it with the population norms, and identify the potential factors associated with health utility. METHODS: A hospital based cross-sectional survey was conducted in three tertiary hospitals from July 2015 to February 2016. A total of 186 patients with leukemia completed the EQ-5D-5L and their health utility scores were calculated using the Chinese value set. EQ-5D-5L utility and dimensions scores of leukemia patients were compared with China's population norms using Kruskal-Wallis test and chi square test. Potential factors associated with health utility were identified using Tobit regression. RESULTS: The mean EQ-5D-5L utility scores of patients with leukemia, grouped by either gender or age, were significantly lower than those of the general population (p < 0.001). The same results were found for individual dimensions of EQ-5D-5L, where leukemia patients reported more health problems than the general population (p < 0.001). The utility score of leukemia patients was found to be significantly related to medical insurance, religious belief, comorbidities, social support and ECOG performance status. CONCLUSION: This study indicated that leukemia patients have worse health status compared to the general population of China and that multiple factors affect the health utility of the patients. The utility scores reported in this study could be useful in future cost-utility analysis.

Measurement Properties of the EQ-5D-5L and EQ-5D-3L in Six Commonly Diagnosed Cancers.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the measurement properties of the EQ-5D-3L (3L) and EQ-5D-5L (5L) in cancer patients. METHODS: A consecutive sample of inpatients with lung, breast, colorectal, liver, gastric, or thyroid cancer were interviewed using the 3L, 5L, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) questionnaires, and a subgroup was invited to complete the 3L and 5L again. Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficient were used to assess test-retest reliability, and Spearman's correlation between the EQ-5D and FACT-G was evaluated to assess convergent validity. Comparison of subgroups defined using Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status and cancer stage were performed to assess known-group validity and discriminatory power using the F-statistic and area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve. All analyses were also performed for each subgroup of cancer patients. RESULTS: A total of 416 cancer patients completed the baseline questionnaire and 90 patients also completed the follow-up survey after 2 days. Ceiling effects were smaller in 5L (10.1%) than in 3L (17.8%). The test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the 5L were slightly better than those of the 3L. Both the 3L and 5L showed known-group validity; however, the 5L index showed better discriminatory power. Similar trends were found in the six types of cancers. CONCLUSION: In general, 5L appears to have better measurement properties than 3L for measuring the health-related quality of life of cancer patients. While both the 3L and 5L are suitable, 5L should be preferable to 3L for use in cancer outcomes research.

Validity and reliability of the EQ-5D-5 L in family caregivers of leukemia patients.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the five-level EuroQol five-dimensional (EQ-5D-5 L) instrument in family caregivers (FCs) of leukemia patients in Heilongjiang of China. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 298 family caregivers (FCs) of leukemia patients from three major cancer centers in the capital city of Heilongjiang province of China. Their dimensional scores of the EQ-5D-5 L were compared with those of the WHOQOL-BREF to test the convergent validity (constructs measuring the same concept) and divergent validity (constructs measuring different concepts) of the EQ-5D-5 L. Repeated surveys were conducted on 271 participants to determine the test-retest reliability of the EQ-5D-5 L. RESULTS: The four physical dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, and pain/discomfort) of the EQ-5D-5 L had moderate or high correlations with the physical health domain of the WHOQOL-BREF, with a correlation coefficient (r) ranging from 0.459 to 0.559. The anxiety/depression dimension of the EQ-5D-5 L had a high correlation (r = 0.667) with the psychological domain of the WHOQOL-BREF. By contrast, lower but still significant physical-to-psychological correlations were found between the two instruments (r ranging from 0.219 to 0.396). In addition, the EQ-5D-5 L dimensional scores showed no or weak correlations with the environment and social domains of the WHOQOL-BREF (r ranging from 0.016 to 0.207). High test-retest reliability (> 0.7) was evident. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of the EQ-5D-5 L has satisfactory reliability and validity in FCs of leukemia patients. It can be used to elicit utility of health-related quality of life in FCs of leukemia.