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Those with higher education, economic activity and living together in a household more often can expect a better health-related quality of life than those with lower education or living alone. This is the result of a recent study by the Center for Health Technology Assessment at Semmelweis University, involving a questionnaire survey of almost 12,000 participants.
In Hungary, a similar study last measured the health-related quality of life of the population in 2000, therefore the study is unique in that the results can be compared two decades later, showing a strong improvement, especially among middle-aged people. The university researchers published their results in the prestigious Quality of Life Research journal.
The higher the level of education and the lower the age, the higher the subjective health-related quality of life of the respondents.
The quality of life was also positively influenced by active labor market or student status, and by having more than one person – up to six – living in the household,
said András Inotai, Associate Professor at the Center for Health Technology Assessment, who led the research on some of the findings of the survey. He added that the modest increase in life expectancy of the population in recent decades is widely known. However, the health-related quality of life over this time is much less discussed, which is why this area of research was considered interesting.
Photo: Pixabay
The research team used an internationally well-known questionnaire (EQ-5D) to analyze the health-related quality of life of individuals based on subjective self-assessment in five thematic areas. These domains are:
These are scored at three levels: no problem, some problem, unable to do the activity.
In total, 243 health conditions can be distinguished within the five areas of the questionnaire, each of which can be assigned a numerical value expressing health-related quality of life, known as the EQ-5D index. The quantification of the responses to the questionnaire varies from country to country and from culture to culture. For example, a European’s attitude to pain or anxiety is very different from that of a person from a Far Eastern country.
Since the questionnaire was evaluated using a national algorithm, the results are a true reflection of the national situation,
highlighted András Inotai.
Zoltán Vokó, university professor, co-author and director of the Center for Health Technology Assessment, was involved in both the previous and the current survey. As a result of the research on the health-related quality of life of the population, the area of most concern for the younger generation was anxiety/depression out of the five dimensions, while as they got older, pain/well-being and limitation of usual activities were the most frequently reported problems.
Although the reasons explaining the results were not investigated in this study, the fact remains that older people may suffer from more diseases, which has a strong impact on quality of life. Higher levels of education are associated with healthier lifestyles, greater participation in preventive and mental health programs and an appreciation of health. While being in work or education may be associated with more physical activity and a more social life, the network of relationships may be stronger in households where two or more people live together, also resulting in a higher score. Inactive people and people living alone are at higher risk of depression.
The research is also ground-breaking in that no such repeated quality of life survey has ever been carried out with over 10,000 participants.
Comparing the data, it can be said that there has been a significant improvement, i.e. a reduction of more than 30 percent, in the anxiety/depression and pain/well-being dimensions in middle-aged people, especially women. Compared with the 2000 values, the improvement in quality of life, as measured by the EQ-5D index, is more than 10 percent in these age groups, which is a significant difference that is also felt by the individual.
There is also a noticeable reduction in the quality of life gap between men and women. The study is part of a wider research project in collaboration with universities to assess the quality of life of patients with post-COVID syndrome.
Via Semmelweis.hu; Featured image via Pexels
