Is There a Shelf Life for EQ-5D Value Sets: Evidence of Evolving Societal Preferences From Asia

To compare composite time trade-off (cTTO) values derived from recent and early EQ-5D-5L value set studies.

We analyzed cTTO data from early (2012 in China; 2014-2015 in Singapore) and recent (2023 in China; 2023-2024 in Singapore) EQ-5D-5L value set studies. We compared value distributions, mean values for each health state, and resultant value sets derived from these studies within each country.

In China, the recent study showed a higher proportion of the highest cTTO value (ie, 1.000). Model-predicted values were higher for mild states and lower for severe states, with a wider value range (-0.541, 0.967) compared with the early study (-0.339, 0.881). In Singapore, the recent study showed a higher proportion of 1.000 value and a lower proportion of the lowest cTTO value (ie, -1.000). Model-predicted values were higher for mild and moderate states, with a wider value range (-0.653, 0.960) compared with the early study (-0.569, 0.823). In both countries, the pain/discomfort dimension showed the highest model-predicted disutility in recent studies, whereas in the early studies, mobility problems and anxiety/depression had the highest disutility in China and Singapore, respectively.

In both China and Singapore, observed and model-predicted cTTO values from recent EQ-5D-5L valuation studies differed from earlier ones. Although the differences may be partially attributed to advances in valuation technology and changes in population composition, this study suggests that public health preferences evolve and underscores the potential need to periodically update value sets of preference-weighted health-related quality-of-life measures.