title: Investigating differences in health-related quality of life of Greeks and Albanian immigrants with the generic EQ-5D questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Low socioeconomic status (SES) has been related by previous studies to low self-perceived HRQoL. Health is a major determinant of the society's welfare, and few studies have determined the relevant elements that contribute to health and quality of life in Greece.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to evaluate and test for differences in HRQoL of Greek and Albanian immigrant population according to ethnicity and their demographic and SES characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in a sample of 660 age-matched and gender-matched Greeks and Albanian immigrants. Moderate or severe decrease in HRQoL was assessed with the generic tool EQ-5D. Differences were statistically analyzed by t-test and ANOVA. Also, logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted for the dependent variables of the EQ-5D dimensions and VAS scores, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Albanian immigrants reported better self-perceived health than their Greek counterparts. Health problems increase moderately with age and lower SES and are slightly higher for women than for men. Urbanity and superior education in both Greeks and Albaniansareassociated with worse HRQoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are some structural and compositional differences in the self-perceived quality of life between the two ethnicities, as estimated by EQ-5D. The combined information presents to public health providers the relevant data to assess health policies according to health needs.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Technological Educational Institute of Larissa, 411 10 Larissa, Greece. lahana@teilar.gr
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lahana
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niakas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000415:Albania; D003710:Demography; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult