Construct validity of the EQ-5D in low-income Chinese American primary care patients.
OBJECTIVE
Although the EQ-5D has been used with increasing frequency to measure health-related quality of life, to date, the measure's validity has not been examined in Chinese American immigrants. We evaluated the construct validity of the EQ-5D by testing its performance with respect to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the population and comparing responses on the EQ dimensions with the SF-36 subscales.


METHODS
The study surveyed low-income Chinese patients attending a community health center in New York City's Chinatown. Participants received self-administered versions of the EQ-5D and SF-36 and additional questions regarding demographic and clinical information.


RESULTS
856 patients were approached and data were collected from 523 patients (61%). Analysis of the EQ-5D responses by sociodemographic and clinical variables found significant differences among categories of age, gender, marital status, number of medical problems, self-rated health, and specific medical problems. Correlations between similar dimensions and subscale scores were stronger between the two measures than dissimilar ones. Patients without impairments on a given EQ dimension tended to have higher SF-36 subscale scores than patients reporting 'any' impairment (i.e. some/moderate or severe).


CONCLUSIONS
The results provide initial support for the construct validity of the EQ-5D in our sample. Further studies should compare the performance of the EQ-5D with other preference-based measures in Chinese persons and examine the valuations that both low-income and Chinese persons place on core aspects of health.
Lubetkin
Erica I
EI
Department of Community Health and Social Medicine, CUNY Medical School, 138th Street and Convent Avenue, Harris Hall-Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10031, USA. lubetkin@med.cuny.edu
Jia
Haomiao
H
Gold
Marthe R
MR
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires