Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30064432›Full record

ArticleHealth and quality of life outcomes2018

Exploring the causal and effect nature of EQ-5D dimensions: an application of confirmatory tetrad analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

Thor Gamst-Klaussen, Claire Gudex, Jan Abel Olsen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health and quality of life outcomes, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Psychometric properties of the EQ-5D-5L: a systematic review of the literature.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2021
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Depicting patient-reported outcome measures within directed acyclic graphs: practice and implications for causal reasoning.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
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  9. Combining EQ-5D-5L items into a level summary score: demonstrating feasibility using non-parametric item response theory using an international dataset.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2022
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  12. Does the EQ-5D usual activities dimension measure what it intends to measure? The relative importance of work, study, housework, family or leisure activities.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2020
    Article
  13. A conceptual map of health-related quality of life dimensions: key lessons for a new instrument.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2020
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  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Thor Gamst-KlaussenDepartment of Community Medicine, UIT the Arctic University of Norway, 9016, Tromsø, Norway. thor.klaussen@uit.no.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8497-8502
Claire GudexDepartment of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Jan Abel OlsenDepartment of Community Medicine, UIT the Arctic University of Norway, 9016, Tromsø, Norway.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe relationship between the various items in an HRQoL instrument is a key aspect of interpreting and understanding preference weights. The aims of this paper were i) to use theoretical models of HRQoL to develop a conceptual framework for causal and effect relationships among the five dimensions of the EQ-5D instrument, and ii) to empirically test this framework.

methodsA conceptual framework depicts the symptom dimensions [Pain/discomfort (PD) and Anxiety/depression (AD)] as causal indicators that drive a change in the effect indicators of activity/participation [Mobility (MO), Self-care (SC) and Usual activities (UA)], where MO has an intermediate position between PD and the other two effect dimensions (SC and UA). Confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to test this framework using EQ-5D-5L data from 7933 respondents in six countries, classified as healthy (n = 1760) or in one of seven disease groups (n = 6173).

resultsCTA revealed the best fit for a model specifying SC and UA as effect indicators and PD, AD and MO as causal indicators. This was supported by CFA, revealing a satisfactory fit to the data: CFI = 0.992, TLI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.075 (90% CI 0.062-0.088), and SRMR = 0.012.

conclusionsThe EQ-5D appears to include both causal indicators (PD and AD) and effect indicators (SC and UA). Mobility played an intermediate role in our conceptual framework, being a cause of problems with Self-care and Usual activities, but also an effect of Pain/discomfort. However, the empirical analyses of our data suggest that Mobility is mostly a causal indicator.

Indexed as

Attitude to HealthFactor Analysis, StatisticalHealth StatusAdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedModels, StatisticalPsychometricsQuality of LifeSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultCausal indicatorsConfirmatory tetrad analysisEffect indicatorsEQ-5D-5 LHealth outcomesPreference weights

Identifiers

PMID30064432
PMCPMC6069547

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.