General population reference values for the French version of the EuroQol EQ-5D health utility instrument.
OBJECTIVE
To provide reference values for the French version of the EQ-5D and verify its capacity to discriminate between subgroups.


METHODS
General population mail survey in French-speaking Switzerland that included the EQ-5D instrument (five items rated on three levels as no problem, moderate problem, severe problem, and a visual analog health scale between 0 and 100) and descriptive variables.


RESULTS
Questionnaires were returned by 1956 adults (response rate 52.1%). Three of the five items had important "ceiling" effects (proportions with no problem: mobility 92.1%, self-care 97.6%, usual activities 91.2%), the other two less so (pain/discomfort 54.3%, anxiety/depression 68.1%). Four health states represented the majority of the population: no health problem (41.8%), moderate pain/discomfort only (21.0%), moderate anxiety/depression only (11.5%), moderate pain/discomfort and moderate anxiety/depression only (13.2%). The mean health utility was 0.83 (SD 0.15) on a scale between 0 and 1 and the mean visual analog score 81.7 (SD 15.5); the two were correlated (Pearson r 0.63, P < 0.001). Health utility scores were lower among women, older respondents, those with basic education, users of health services, and those with lower self-reported health status. The pattern was similar for the visual analog score except that women reported slightly higher ratings than men.


CONCLUSIONS
The EQ-5D performed as expected in a French-speaking general population sample. Reference values by sex and age group may facilitate the interpretation of results obtained in clinical settings.
Perneger
Thomas V
TV
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. thomas.perneger@hcuge.ch
Combescure
Christophe
C
Courvoisier
Delphine S
DS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland; D055815:Young Adult