title: EQ-5D as a predictor of mortality and hospitalization in elderly people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess whether the EQ-5D independently predicts all-cause mortality and first hospitalization in a generic elderly population and to evaluate the relationship between the EQ-5D "Class of problems," the EQ-5D index, the EQ-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS), and the number of hospitalizations occurring over a 2-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data were collected in a longitudinal study (over 5 years) conducted on 9,644 elderly people in northern Italy with 5,256 completed questionnaires returned. Multivariate Cox's proportional hazards models were used to assess the effect of the EQ-5D questionnaire on 12 and 24 month mortality and first hospitalization risk, controlling for sociodemographic and medical covariates. Multivariate Zero-Inflated Poisson models were performed to test the association between the EQ-5D "Class of problems," the EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS and the number of hospitalizations over 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The EQ-5D "Class of problems," EQ-5D index, and EQ-VAS were consistently associated with mortality and first hospitalization rates. The EQ-VAS was associated with the number of hospitalizations over 2 years, though the EQ-5D "Class of problems" and EQ-5D index were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EQ-5D questionnaire is a useful predictor of mortality and first hospitalization in a generic elderly population in Italy. This suggests that it would be a good instrument for evaluating the effect of social/medical actions in a population-based study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics Paolo Fortunati, University of Bologna, Via delle Belle Arti, 41, 40126, Bologna, Italy. giulia.cavrini@unibo.it
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cavrini
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Broccoli
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puccini
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zoli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires