Health-Related Quality of Life of the General German Population in 2015: Results from the EQ-5D-5L

Manuel B. Huber, Julia Felix, Martin Vogelmann and Reiner Leidl
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Manuel B. Huber: German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute for Health Economics and Health Care Management, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Postfach 1129, Neuherberg 85758, Germany
Julia Felix: German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute for Health Economics and Health Care Management, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Postfach 1129, Neuherberg 85758, Germany
Martin Vogelmann: Wort & Bild Verlag Konradshöhe GmbH & Co. KG, Baierbrunn 82065, Germany

IJERPH, 2017, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: The EQ-5D-5L is a widely used generic instrument to measure health-related quality of life. This study evaluates health perception in a representative sample of the general German population from 2015. To compare results over time, a component analysis technique was used that separates changes in the description and valuation of health states. The whole sample and also subgroups, stratified by sociodemographic parameters as well as disease affliction, were analyzed. In total, 2040 questionnaires (48.4% male, mean age 47.3 year) were included. The dimension with the lowest number of reported problems was self-care (93.0% without problems), and the dimension with the highest proportion of impairment was pain/discomfort (71.2% without problems). Some 64.3% of the study population were identified as problem-free. The visual analog scale (VAS) mean for all participants was 85.1. Low education was connected with significantly lower VAS scores, but the effect was small. Depression, heart disease, and diabetes had a strong significant negative effect on reported VAS means. Results were slightly better than those in a similar 2012 survey; the most important driver was the increase in the share of the study population that reported to be problem-free. In international comparisons, health perception of the general German population is relatively high and, compared with previous German studies, fairly stable over recent years. Elderly and sick people continue to report significant reductions in perceived health states.

Keywords: health-related quality of life; EQ-5D-5L; population survey; Germany; 2015 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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