Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36890491›Full record

ArticleHealth and quality of life outcomes2023

Measurement properties of the EQ-5D-5L in sub-health: evidence based on primary health care workers in China.

Yueyue Liu, Chuchuan Wan, Xiaoyu Xi

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Health and quality of life outcomes, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
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

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

  1. Monitoring and evaluation instruments of individual health in community settings: a scoping review.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Testing culturally relevant EQ-5D-5L bolt-ons for the Chinese general population: first quantitative phase of a mixed methods study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Identifying and developing culturally relevant EQ-5D-5L bolt-on items for Chinese population: qualitative phase of a mixed-methods study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025
    Article
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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 at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yueyue Liu *The Research Center of National Drug Policy & Ecosystem, China Pharmaceutical University, No.639 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
Chuchuan Wan *The Research Center of National Drug Policy & Ecosystem, China Pharmaceutical University, No.639 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
Xiaoyu XiThe Research Center of National Drug Policy & Ecosystem, China Pharmaceutical University, No.639 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. xixy@cpu.edu.cn.
China Pharmaceutical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSub-health which is the state between health and disease is a major global public health challenge. As a reversible stage, sub-health can work as a effective tool for the early detection or prevention of chronic disease. The EQ-5D-5L (5L) is a widely used, generic preference-based instrument while its validity in measuring sub-health is not clear. The aim of the study was thus to assess its measurement properties in individuals with sub-health in China.

methodsThe data used were from a nationwide cross-sectional survey conducted among primary health care workers who were selected on the basis of convenience and voluntariness. The questionnaire was composited of 5L, Sub-Health Measurement Scale V1.0 (SHMS V1.0), social-demographic characteristics and a question assessing the presence of disease. Missing values and ceiling effects of 5L were calculated. The convergent validity of 5L utility and VAS scores was tested by assessing their correlations with SHMS V1.0 using Spearman's correlation coefficient. The known-groups validity of 5L utility and VAS scores was assessed by comparing their values between subgroups defined by SHMS V1.0 scores using the Kruskal-Wallis test. We also did an analysis in subgroups according to different regions of China.

resultsA total of 2063 respondents were included in the analysis. No missing data were observed for the 5L dimensions and only one missing value was for the VAS score. 5L showed strong overall ceiling effects (71.1%). The ceiling effects were slightly weaker on the "pain/discomfort" (82.3%) and "anxiety/depression" (79.5%) dimensions compared with the other three dimensions (nearly 100%). The 5L weakly correlated with SHMS V1.0: the correlation coefficients were mainly between 0.2 and 0.3 for the two scores. 5L was yet not sensitive in distinguishing subgroups of respondents with different levels of sub-health, especially the subgroups with adjacent health status (p > 0.05). The results of subgroup analysis were generally consistent with those of the full sample.

conclusionsIt appears that the measurement properties of EQ-5D-5L in individuals with sub-health are not satisfactory in China. We thus should be cautious to use it in the population.

Indexed as

Primary Health CareQuality of LifeChinaCross-Sectional StudiesHumansPsychometricsReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesEQ-5D-5LHealth-related quality of lifeMeasurement propertiesSub-healthValidity

Identifiers

PMID36890491
PMCPMC9996950
OpenAlexW4323546173

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.