Subjective expectations regarding length and health-related quality of life in Hungary: results from an empirical investigation.
BACKGROUND
Subjective expectations regarding future health are rarely studied, yet may have implications for medical decision making, health behaviour and health economic analysis.


OBJECTIVE
To study people's subjective expectations regarding length and future quality of life in Hungary and compare these with previous findings from the Netherlands.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was performed, using a questionnaire that was put on a highly frequented web journal during 1 day. Main socio-demographic variables and health status of the voluntary participants were registered using the EQ-5D questionnaire. People were asked about the age they expected to live and the health status they expected to have at ages 60, 70, 80 and 90, using the EQ-5D descriptive system. Responses were matched and compared to age- and gender-specific life expectancy data from the Hungarian National Statistics and to age- and gender-specific EQ-5D scores from a prior nationally representative survey in Hungary.


RESULTS
In total, 9407 people were included in the analysis with mean age of 36.1 (SD 10.6) years, mainly qualified (degree 74.0%), employed (86.0%) men (67.1%). People overestimated their life expectancy (women, 1.6; men, 8.2 years) and expected a sharp deterioration in health at the age 70. Age, current health status, perception of a healthy lifestyle and kins' age at death were important explanatory factors for subjective expectations. Subjective life expectancy correlates strongly with expected future health status.


CONCLUSIONS
The striking similarities between two surveys from distinct nations suggest that people's (mis)expectations regarding length and future quality of life are probably rather generalizable between jurisdictions within Europe.
Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment Research Centre, Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; Flór Ferenc County Hospital, Kistarcsa, Hungary.
Márta
M
Péntek
Valentin
V
Brodszky
Ádám László
ÁL
Gulácsi
Ottó
O
Hajdú
Job
J
van Exel
Werner
W
Brouwer
László
L
Gulácsi
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires