As the data on the 5 EQ-5D dimensions are not continuous but ordinal, the information is presented as the proportions of the population reporting level 1 (no problems), level 2 (some problems) and level 3 (extreme problems) per dimension, by age group and gender. Because the number of people reporting severe problems is usually very small in general population surveys, the sum of the proportions of reported level 2 and level 3 problems is sometimes used. This essentially changes the 3-level EQ-5D dimensions into 2-level dimensions, using categories ‘no problems’ and ‘problems’.
In a pooled dataset of surveys, Fig. 3.5 illustrates the sum of the proportion of reported level 2 and level 3 problems for each of the 5 EQ-5D dimensions for three distinct age groups. As can be seen from the figure, the proportion of problems increased with age on all dimensions. Problems with mobility increased the most with increasing age, whereas problems with anxiety/depression increased the least. For every age group the proportion of problems with pain/discomfort was higher than the proportion of problems on the other dimensions.
Table 3.3 summarizes results for reported problems along the five dimensions by country. These results reflect the total population scores and cannot be compared directly to each other as they reflect the unique age structure within each country.
Table 3.3 Reported problems by 5 dimensions (% of any problem)
Figure 3.6 graphically presents reported problems by dimension for each country. As can be seen, problems with pain/discomfort were generally the most prevalent, while problems with self-care were the least prevalent among the 5 dimensions.
Figures 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10 and 3.11 show reported problems for each dimension separately across all countries. Variability in reported problems for each dimension is also present among countries, with percentages of reported problem ranges of 5.1–29.8 % for mobility; 0.8–14.0 % for self-care; 4.1–32.9 % for usual activities; 10.7–65.0 % for pain/discomfort; and 3.5–47.4 % for anxiety/depression.
Table 3.4 summarizes the results for reported problems across the 5 dimensions by regional surveys. These results reflect the total population scores and cannot be compared directly to each other as they reflect the unique age structure within each country.
Table 3.4 Reported problems by five dimensions (% of any problem) – regional surveys