A cross sectional survey on health-related quality of life of elementary school students using the Korean version of the EQ-5D-Y

Abstract

Background and ObjectiveThe Korean version of the EQ-5D-Y was launched in 2015 by the EuroQol group. Currently, there is no HRQOL data obtained by using the EQ-5D-Y in Korea. This study aimed to measure health-related quality of life of Korean elementary school students using the EQ-5D-Y.MethodsElementary school students were recruited from 11 primary schools in Gyungbuk, South Korea. The EQ-5D-Y was self-administered in the sample population. Demographic characteristics were collected from the subjects’ parents or guardians. The percentage of respondents reporting problems and VAS scores were calculated. Feasibility of the EQ-5D-Y was assessed by analysing the proportion of missing responses. The percentage of reported problems on the dimensions and VAS score between groups were compared by demographic factors.ResultsA total of 2,494 questionnaires were collected. There were 24 (0.96%) missing responses on the EQ-5D-Y and 187 (7.5%) missing VAS score responses. The proportion of reported problems ranged from 2.3% on the mobility dimension to 9.8% on the “having pain or discomfort” dimension. There was no significant difference in the proportion of problems by age group in male participants. However, in females, the older group reported significantly more problems on the “having pain or discomfort” and “feeling worried, sad, or unhappy” dimensions compared to the younger group. Students living with parents with the lowest educational level reported significantly more problems on the “looking after myself” and “doing usual activities” dimensions than did those living with parents with higher levels of education.DiscussionThis study showed the distribution of health-related quality of life and explored the feasibility of the EQ-5D-Y for measuring health-related quality of life in Korean elementary school students. Further studies are required to examine other psychometric properties of the Korean EQ-5D-Y.

Population health status based on the EQ-5D-Y-3L among adolescents in Sweden: Results by sociodemographic factors and self-reported comorbidity

“…Adolescents with one or both parents unemployed reported worse health status. This is in line with previous studies, where children from families with the lowest household income showed the lowest VAS index scores, and children with parents with the lowest educational level reported more problems in the EQ-5D-Y-3L dimensions [ 28 , 29 ]. If adolescents are able to report their parents’ occupational status in a reliable matter can be discussed and might be a limitation of our study.…”

“…Despite that the present study was conducted among a general population of adolescents, more than half of all respondents reported problems in at least one of the EQ-5D-Y-3L dimensions which was higher than observed earlier [ 29 ]. The age range of participants in our study could explain these findings, as it is recognized that adolescents go through several life-challenging changes e.g.…”

“…This was the first year of including the EQ-5D-Y-3L instrument in the survey, and feasibility was indicated by few missing or ambiguous answers across all dimensions and for the VAS. Feasibility of the EQ-5D-Y-3L has been investigated in a similar way in previous studies [ 22 , 23 , 26 , 29 ]. Two adolescents reported ‘a lot of’ problems in all the EQ-5D-Y-3L dimensions.…”

“…Children’s health status have shown to be positively associated with household income and the association even more distinct as children grow older into adolescence [ 42 ]. How to measure socio-economic status among children and adolescents has been discussed, previously parents’ occupation, income level and educational level have been used as indicators [ 28 , 29 ]. In the present study, parents’ occupational status reported by the adolescent was used as a proxy for socio-economic status.…”

“…In clinical studies, the EQ-5D-Y-3L has been validated for a number of health conditions among children and adolescents, such as cystic fibrosis, functional disabilities, asthma and among acutely ill children [ 24 – 27 ]. Population health status among children aged between 7 and 12 years old has been investigated with the EQ-5D-Y-3L instrument [ 23 , 28 , 29 ].…”