Purpose: To extend existing analyses of whether and how the age of respondents is related to their time trade-off (TTO) valuations of hypothetical EQ-5D-3L health states, and to contribute to the existing debate about the rationale and implications for using age-specific utilities in health technology assessment (HTA). Methods: We use data from the MVH UK valuation study. For each profile, the mean TTO value—adjusted by sex, education, self-reported health and personal experience of serious illness—is pairwise compared across the different age groups. A Bonferroni correction is applied to the multiple testing of significant differences between means. Smile plots illustrate the results. A debate regarding whether there is a case for using age-specific utilities in HTAs complements the analysis. Results: Results show that the oldest respondents value health profiles lower than younger age groups, particularly for profiles describing problems in the mobility dimension. Conclusion: The findings raise the possibility of using age-specific value sets in HTAs, since a technology may not be cost-effective on average but cost-effective for a sub-group whose preferences are more closely aligned to the benefits offered by the technology.
CITATION STYLE
Cubi-Molla, P., Shah, K., Garside, J., Herdman, M., & Devlin, N. (2019). A note on the relationship between age and health-related quality of life assessment. Quality of Life Research, 28(5), 1201–1205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-018-2071-5
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