Gender differences in health-related quality-of-life are partly explained by sociodemographic and socioeconomic variation between adult men and women in the US: evidence from four US nationally representative data sets.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to describe gender differences in self-reported health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and to examine whether differences are explained by sociodemographic and socioeconomic status (SES) differentials between men and women.


METHODS
Data were from four US nationally representative surveys: US Valuation of the EuroQol EQ-5D Health States Survey (USVEQ), Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), National Health Measurement Study (NHMS) and Joint Canada/US Survey of Health (JCUSH). Gender differences were estimated with and without adjustment for sociodemographic and SES indicators using regression within and across data sets with SF-6D, EQ-5D, HUI2, HUI3 and QWB-SA scores as outcomes.


RESULTS
Women have lower HRQoL scores than men on all indexes prior to adjustment. Adjusting for age, race, marital status, education and income reduced but did not remove the gender differences, except with HUI3. Adjusting for marital status or income had the largest impact on estimated gender differences.


CONCLUSIONS
There are clear gender differences in HRQoL in the United States. These differences are partly explained by sociodemographic and SES differentials.
Cherepanov
Dasha
D
Department of Health Services, University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health, PO Box 90095-1772, Los Angeles, CA, USA. dcherepanov@ucla.edu
Palta
Mari
M
Fryback
Dennis G
DG
Robert
Stephanie A
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult