Stability of Danish Population Health Preferences Over Time

Abstract

Objectives: This study tested the stability of Danish population health preferences by comparing data collected in 2024 with data from the 2019 Danish EQ-5D-5L valuation study. This period included the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Methods: Data were collected through (1) 100 virtual interviews following the standardized EQ-VT protocol generating composite time trade-off (cTTO) and discrete choice experiment (DCE) data as in the 2019 study, and (2) an online survey of 1000 respondents generating DCE data. Both samples were matched to the 2019 study. Mean cTTO values were compared between 2019 and 2024. Mixed logit models were estimated for the 2019 and 2024 DCE data, and dimension order was compared. The DCE values were anchored on the quality-adjusted life-years scale using the respective cTTO data and the equivalent states from 2019 and subsequently compared using Bland-Altman plots.

Results: In 2024, 100 EQ-VT interviews were successfully completed, and 1003 respondents had completed the online survey passing quality control. Mean cTTO values did not differ significantly between 2019 and 2024 for the 10 health states valued, although the overall mean was slightly higher in 2024. In the DCE, dimension order was the same in 2019 and 2024; however, the relative importance of mobility and self-care was higher in 2024 at the expense of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Bland-Altman plots showed higher values for severe states and lower values for moderate states in 2024.

Conclusions: Danish population health preferences appeared stable over the 5-year period, providing evidence for the shelf-life of EQ-5D-5L value sets.

Keywords: EQ-5D-5L; stability of health preferences; value sets.