Quality-adjusted life expectancy norms for the Iranian population

Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy (QALE) is a well-established approach for evaluating health expectancy, combining health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with life expectancy (LE) to produce a cohesive summary score. This study offers QALE estimates for the Iranian population, categorized by age group and sex.

To establish QALE population norms, we integrated age- and sex-specific EQ-5D-3 L utility scores with the national life tables of the Iranian population, sourced from the World Health Organization. The utility scores were derived from data gathered through the EQ-5D questionnaire survey, collected from 27,704 participants during the eighth round of the nationwide Stepwise approach to surveillance (STEPS) conducted in 2021. EQ-5D health status was converted into utility scores using the existing value set provided through a face-to-face time trade-off method for the Iranian general population.

The utility score for men decreased from 0.95 in the 18-19 age group to 0.76 in the 85 + age group, while for women, it declined from 0.91 to 0.66 over the same age range. Although women have a higher life expectancy than men, the reverse is true for QALE. QALE at birth is 68.29 QALYs for men and 66.69 QALYs for women.

This study presents Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy (QALE) population norms for Iran. These norms can be used in economic assessments of health interventions and population health studies.