2021/07/23 by Edward J. D. Webb, Edward Webb, Paul Kind +2
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Environmental Science · Health Professions · #Climate Change and Health Impacts #Global Health Care Issues #Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
paper · doi:10.1002/hec.4399
openalex publication_date 2021/07/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
General population health state values are used in healthcare resource allocation, including health technology assessment. We examine whether UK general population health valuations changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ratings of EQ-5D-5L health states 11111 (no problems), 55555 (extreme problems), and dead were collected in a UK general population survey during the pandemic (April-May 2020) using the 0 = worst imaginable health, 100 = best imaginable health visual analog scale (EQ-VAS). Ratings for 55555 were transformed to a full health = 1, dead = 0 scale. Responses were compared to similar data collected pre-pandemic (2018). After propensity score matching to minimize sample differences, EQ-VAS responses were analyzed using Tobit regressions. On the 0-100 scale, 11111 was rated on average 8.67 points lower, 55555 rated 9.56 points higher, and dead rated 7.45 points lower post-pandemic onset compared to pre-pandemic. On the full health = 1, dead = 0 scale, 55555 values were 0.09 higher post-pandemic onset. There was evidence of differential impacts of COVID-19 by gender, age, and ethnicity, although only age impacted values on the 1-0 scale. COVID-19 may have affected how people value health. It is unknown whether the effect is large enough to have policy relevance, but caution should be taken in assuming pre-COVID-19 values are unchanged.