Establishing Validity of EQ-5D-3L (Tagalog) to Measure Health-Related Quality of Life States among Adult Filipinos (20-50 years old)

Objective. To establish the validity of EQ-5D-3L in Tagalog language in assessing health-related quality of life states among adult Filipinos 20-50 years old. Methods. A face-to-face cross-sectional community survey of apparently healthy adult Filipinos (20-50 years old) in Metro Manila and in 4 nearby provinces (Bulacan, Batangas, Quezon, Rizal) was conducted. Trained interviewers administered the Tagalog language versions of EuroQoL 5-Dimension 3 Levels (EQ-5D-3L), Short-Form 36 version 2 (SF-26v2®), and a socio-economic questionnaire. All questionnaires were pre-tested for cultural appropriateness. Concurrent validity (against the SF-36v2®) and known group validity of the EQ-5D-3L were evaluated. Results. Complete data from 3,056 participants were analyzed. Almost half of the participants reported perfect health on EQ-5D-3L and had higher scores on all SF-36v2® domains compared to those who reported some problems on EQ-5D-3L. Compared to participants who reported some problems on EQ-5D-3L mobility (or anxiety/depression), participants who reported no problem on EQ-5D-3L mobility (or anxiety/depression) reported lower SF-36v2® Physical Functioning (or Mental Health) scores (differences of 7.1 and 10 points, respectively) that were minimally important (i.e. exceeds 5 points). Participants with poorer self-reported health had considerably lower EQ-5D index scores and EQ-5D VAS scores (p < 0.05) irrespective of their socio-demographic characteristics. Conclusion. EQ-5D-3L (Tagalog) demonstrated construct and known groups validity among adult Filipinos (20-50 years old).