Health-related quality of life and beneficiaries of long-term care insurance in Japan.
OBJECTIVE
A long-term care insurance (LTCI) system was introduced in 2000 in Japan. The clarification of information on the users and the ways in which services under this system have been utilized is essential for improving the system operation. This study was conducted for the purpose of clarifying what level of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was achieved by individuals using the services under the LTCI system.


METHODS
The subjects were inhabitants of two cities in the Kyushu district of Japan who were receiving daily home care services under the LTCI system. To analyze the relationships of the beneficiaries' HRQOL with their characteristics, the dependent variable was the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) scores adopted as an index of HRQOL, and the independent variables comprised the demographic features (gender, age, and living condition) of users receiving long-term care service as well as their opinions about fees for services, satisfaction with the services provided, and the degree of support/care required.


RESULTS
The EQ-5D score was higher for females than for males and higher for the subjects living alone than for those displaying any other family composition. EQ-5D score decreased with an increase in the degree of support/care required. Multivariate analysis revealed that the degree of support/care required, gender and living condition were found to serve as variables that significantly contribute to utility.


CONCLUSIONS
Our analysis of the relationships between the characteristics of the LTCI beneficiaries and their HRQOL has yielded basic data that will be useful for improving the recently introduced LTCI system.
Imai
Hirohisa
H
Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health, 2-3-6 Minami, Wako, Saitama 351-0197, Japan. imaihiro@niph.go.jp
Fujii
Yoshinori
Y
Fukuda
Yoshiharu
Y
Nakao
Hiroyuki
H
Yahata
Yuichiro
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007564:Japan; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires