Social Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life among Residents in Zhejiang and Qinghai, China

Abstract

Social determinants are closely related to health and play a significant role in shaping the quality of life of a population. This study aimed to explore the differences in HRQoL (health-related quality of life) scores of residents in the eastern province of Zhejiang and the western province of Qinghai and probe factors affecting the HRQoL among the two populations. A sample of 4210 residents from a cross-sectional survey was included in the analysis. The EQ-5D-3L instrument was used to measure the HRQoL of residents. A Chi-square test and a t-test were used to examine the differences between different variables and analysis of variance (ANOVA) with interaction effects was used to analyze factors associated with the HRQoL between the two provinces. Residents’ EQ-5D index score (EQ VAS score) was 0.963 (82.71) and 0.962 (81.51), respectively, in Zhejiang and Qinghai. Generally, residents in Qinghai displayed significantly worse HRQoL scores than those in Zhejiang. The differences between the two regions lay on mobility, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depressions. In both regions, an increased education level and being employed were most strongly associated with a positive HRQoL; increased age and presence of chronic diseases were most strongly associated with a negative HRQoL. When formulating health policies, the significant health disparities between western and eastern provinces must be given greater consideration. The health of vulnerable groups should be particularly focused on to improve the observed health disparities.

Comparing the performance of the EQ-5D-3 L and the EQ-5D-5 L in an elderly Chinese population

“…Thus, our study provides evidence for the appropriateness of switching from the 3 L EQ-5D to the 5 L EQ-5D for measuring the health outcomes of community-dwelling old people in China. The 3 L EQ-5D has been used in many population health surveys in the country [17][18][19]. Since the old population is rapidly increasing, the 5 L EQ-5D should be use in health surveys covering the entire adult Chinese population.…”

Socioeconomic and environmental determinants and hypovitaminosis D in adolescents in the northeast of Brazil: a hierarchical approach

“…However, these results should be viewed with caution and are not applicable to all protective conditions that can result from inadequate socioeconomic conditions and health situations. This is particularly so because there is a historically recognized dampening role of inadequate socioeconomic conditions in the health and nutritional status of populations, recorded in the distant past and also nowadays in various studies (Santoge et al, 2009;Gu et al, 2019;Morcillo et al, 2019). This is especially true when the structural bases of the causes of nutritional deficiencies are historically associated with socioeconomic determinants and health inequalities (Gu et al, 2019).…”

The Influence of Treatment Modalities on the Quality of Life of Psoriasis Patients

“…In our study, age was identified as a predictor of impaired QoL in all patients. With increasing age, QoL tends to decrease due to overall health decline, comorbidities, limited therapy information, and coping challenges ( 1 , 10 ).…”

“…New molecularly targeted therapies not only alleviate skin lesions and symptoms but also improve QoL and treatment outcomes ( 8 , 9 ). Sociodemographic factors like gender, age, residence, and education level can predict impaired QoL in psoriasis patients ( 10 ).…”