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Purpose: Identify aspects of quality of life (QoL) important to Australian informal carers and explore how well the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers, Care-related Quality of Life instrument and Carer Experience Scale capture these aspects in the Australian context. Methods: Online questionnaires were completed by Australian informal carers. Socio-demographics, open-ended questions: positive/negative aspects of caring and QoL aspects missing from the instruments, and ranking of the instrument domains was used to explore the content of the instruments. Instruments were scored using preference-weighted value sets (reported in another paper). Content analysis was used to analyse the open-ended responses. Chi-squared test looked at differences in domain importance. Descriptive analyses summarised all other information. Results: Eight themes were identified: Behaviour-mood of the care recipient, Caring responsibilities, Finances, Health, Own life, Perception of carers, Relationship with care recipient and Support. Many aspects of carer QoL mentioned as missing in the instruments appeared covered by the domains, of which all were reported as important. The highest ranked domain was relationship with the care recipient. The influence of the care recipient specific support, behaviour/mood and health on carer QoL appear absent in all instruments. Conclusion: The content of the three instruments appears relevant in an Australian setting. The influence of care recipient's health and well-being on carer QoL should be considered, along with spillover effects. A content and/or face validity analysis is required to confirm differences in item interpretation in Australian informal carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Different health state utility (HSU) instruments produce different utilities for the same individuals, thereby compromising the intended comparability of economic evaluations of health care interventions. When developing crosswalks, previous studies have indicated nonlinear relationships. This paper inquires into the degree of nonlinearity across the four most widely used HSU-instruments and proposes exchange rates that differ depending on the severity levels of the health state utility scale.Methods: Overall, 7933 respondents from six countries, 1760 in a non-diagnosed healthy group and 6173 in seven disease groups, reported their health states using four different instruments: EQ-5D-5L, SF-6D, HUI-3 and 15D. Quantile regressions investigate the degree of nonlinear relationships between these instruments. To compare the instruments across different disease severities, we split the health state utility scale into utility intervals with 0.2 successive decrements in utility starting from perfect health at 1.00. Exchange rates (ERs) are calculated as the mean utility difference between two utility intervals on one HSU-instrument divided by the difference in mean utility on another HSU-instrument.Results: Quantile regressions reveal significant nonlinear relationships across all four HSU-instruments. The degrees of nonlinearities differ, with a maximum degree of difference in the coefficients along the health state utility scale of 3.34 when SF-6D is regressed on EQ-5D. At the lower end of the health state utility scale, the exchange rate from SF-6D to EQ-5D is 2.11, whilst at the upper end it is 0.38.Conclusion: Comparisons at different utility levels illustrate the fallacy of using linear functions as crosswalks between HSU-instruments. The existence of nonlinear relationships between different HSU-instruments suggests that level-specific exchange rates should be used when converting a change in utility on the instrument used, onto a corresponding utility change had another instrument been used. Accounting for nonlinearities will increase the validity of the comparison for decision makers when faced with a choice between interventions whose calculations of QALY gains have been based on different HSU-instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) can be significantly impaired by the presence of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of this paper was to (1) identify differences in HRQOL between individuals with CVD, MDD, or both, compared to a healthy reference group, (2) establish whether the influence of co-morbid MDD and CVD on HRQOL is additive or synergistic and (3) determine the way in which depression severity interacts with CVD to influence overall HRQOL. Methods: Population-based data from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being (NSMHWB) ( n = 8841) were used to compare HRQOL of individuals with MDD and CVD, MDD but not CVD, CVD but not MDD, with a healthy reference group. HRQOL was measured using the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQOL). MDD was identified using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0). Results: Of all four groups, individuals with co-morbid CVD and depression reported the greatest deficits in AQOL utility scores (Coef: −0.32, 95% CI: −0.40, −0.23), after adjusting for covariates. Those with MDD only (Coef: −0.27, 95% CI: −0.30, −0.24) and CVD only (Coef: −0.08, 95% CI: −0.11, −0.05) also reported reduced AQOL utility scores. Second, the influence of MDD and CVD on HRQOL was shown to be additive, rather than synergistic. Third, a significant dose-response relationship was observed between depression severity and HRQOL. However, CVD and depression severity appeared to act independently of each other in impacting HRQOL. Conclusions: HRQOL is greatly impaired in individuals with co-morbid MDD and CVD; these conditions appear to influence HRQOL in an additive fashion. HRQOL alters with depression severity, therefore treating depression and improving HRQOL is of clinical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-sectional surveys depend on retrospective health transition questions (HTQ) to estimate recent changes in health status. This paper assesses the validity of the SF-36 HTQ and calibrates its categories against change assessed prospectively on the SF-36 domain scales in a sub-group known to have experienced clinically important changes in health status. Adults ( n = 9,649) from a longitudinal population survey completed the SF-36 in 2001 and 2002. Prospective measures were calculated as mean changes in SF-36 scale scores adjusted for age and gender, and also expressed as standardised response means. Comparison groups were those who had developed a long-term health condition since the last interview and the HTQ response categories for those who had not developed any new conditions. Those with a new condition and those without a new condition but who described their health as “somewhat worse” than a year ago had comparable declines in health status on all domain scales except role physical, where those with a new condition experienced a greater decline. This analysis demonstrates the validity and limitations of the HTQ as a measure of change in population studies. The calibration is useful for interpreting the meaning of the HTQ categories at the group level but not at the individual level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Many generic patient-reported instruments are available for the measurement of health outcomes, including EQ-5D-5L, and the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Assessing their measurement characteristics informs users about the consistency between, and limits of, evidence produced. The aim was to assess the measurement relationship between the EQ-5D-5L descriptive system and value sets, the PROMIS-29 and PROPr (PROMIS value set). Methods: Data were extracted from a cross-sectional survey administering measures of quality of life online in Australia. Descriptive analysis, agreement and construct validity assessment methods were used to compare instruments at the item, domain and value set level. Results: In total, 794 Australians completed the survey. Convergent validity analysis found that similar dimensions across instruments were highly correlated (> 0.50), but the PROMIS-29 assesses additional health concepts not explicitly covered by EQ-5D (sleep and fatigue). Known-group assessment found that EQ-5D-5L and PROPr were able to detect those with and without a condition (ES range 0.78–0.83) but PROPr could more precisely detect differing levels of self-reported health. Both instruments were sensitive to differences in levels of pain. Discussion: There is some consistency in what the EQ-5D-5L, PROMIS-29 and PROPr measure. Differences between value set characteristics can be linked to differences what is measured and the valuation approaches used. This has implications for the use of each in assessing health outcomes, and the results can inform decisions about which instrument should be used in which context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Australia's population is steadily growing older, with older persons expected to make up over 20% of the population by 2066. Ageing is strongly associated with a significant drop in cognitive ability, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to severe cognitive impairment (dementia). This study examined the association between cognitive impairment and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older Australians. Methods: Two waves of longitudinal data from the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey were utilised, with the age cut-off for older Australians defined as above 50. The final analysis included 10,737 person-year observations from 6892 unique individuals between 2012 and 2016. This study utilised the Backwards Digit Span (BDS) test and Symbol Digit Modalities test (SDMT) to assess cognitive function. HRQoL was measured using the physical and mental component summary scores of the SF-36 Health Survey (PCS and MCS). Additionally, HRQoL was measured using health state utility values (SF-6D score). A longitudinal random-effects GLS regression model was used to analyse the association between cognitive impairment and HRQoL. Results: This study found that approximately 89% of Australian adults aged 50 or older had no cognitive impairment, 10.16% had moderate cognitive impairment, and 0.72% had severe cognitive impairment. This study also found that moderate and severe cognitive impairment were both negatively associated with HRQoL. Older Australians with moderate cognitive impairment scored worse on the PCS (β = − 1.765, SE = 0.317), MCS (β = − 1.612, SE = 0.326), and SF-6D (β = − 0.024, SE = 0.004) than peers without cognitive impairment given other covariates reference categories remain constant. Older adults experiencing severe cognitive had lower PCS (β = − 3.560, SE = 1.103), and SF-6D (β = − 0.034, SE = 0.012) scores compared to their counterparts with no cognitive impairment given other covariates reference categories remain constant. Conclusion: We found evidence that HRQoL is negatively associated with cognitive impairment. Our findings will be beneficial for the future cost-effectiveness intervention targeted at reducing cognitive impairment since it provides information on the disutility associated with moderate and severe cognitive impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system which results in disability over time and reduced quality of life. To increase the sensitivity of the EQ-5D-5L for psychosocial health, four bolt-on items from the AQoL-8D were used to create the nine-item EQ-5D-5L-Psychosocial. We aimed to externally validate the EQ-5D-5L-Psychosocial in a large cohort of people with MS (pwMS) and explore the discriminatory power of the new instrument with EQ-5D-5L/AQoL-8D. Methods: A large representative sample from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study completed the AQoL-8D and EQ-5D-5L (including EQ VAS) and both instruments health state utilities (HSUs) were scored using Australian tariffs. Sociodemographic/clinical data were also collected. External validity of EQ-5D-5L-Psychosocial scoring algorithm was assessed with mean absolute errors (MAE) and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Discriminatory sensitivity was assessed with an examination of ceiling/floor effects, and disability severity classifications. Results: Among 1683 participants (mean age: 58.6 years; 80% female), over half (55%) had moderate or severe disability. MAE (0.063) and the distribution of the prediction error were similar to the original development study. Mean (± standard deviation) HSUs were EQ-5D-5L: 0.58 ± 0.32, EQ-5D-5L-Psychosocial 0.62 ± 0.29, and AQoL-8D: 0.63 ± 0.20. N = 157 (10%) scored perfect health (i.e. HSU = 1.0) on the EQ-5D-5L, but reported a mean HSU of 0.90 on the alternative instruments. The Sleep bolt-on dimension was particularly important for pwMS. Conclusions: The EQ-5D-5L-Psychosocial is more sensitive than the EQ-5D-5L in pwMS whose HSUs approach those reflecting full health. When respondent burden is taken into account, the EQ-5D-5L-Psychosocial is preferential to the AQoL-8D. We suggest a larger confirmatory study comparing all prevalent multi-attribute utility instruments for pwMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of physical violence and serious injury on health-related quality of life in the Australian adult population.Methods: This study utilised panel data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. HRQoL was measured through the physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), and short-form six-dimension utility index (SF-6D) of the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Longitudinal fixed-effect regression models were fitted using 19 waves of the HILDA Survey spanning from 2002 to 2020.Results: This study found a negative effect of physical violence and serious injury on health-related quality of life. More specifically, Australian adults exposed to physical violence and serious injury exhibited lower levels of health-related quality of life. Who experienced physical violence only had lower MCS (β = -2.786, 95% CI: -3.091, -2.481) and SF-6D (β = -0.0214, 95% CI: -0.0248, -0.0181) scores if switches from not experiencing physical violence and serious injury. Exposed to serious injury had lower PCS (β = -5.103, 95% CI: -5.203, -5.004), MCS (β = -2.363, 95% CI: -2.480, -2.247), and SF-6D (β = -0.0585, 95% CI: -0.0598, -0.0572) score if the adults not experiencing physical violence and serious injury. Further, individuals exposed to both violence and injury had substantially lower PCS (β = -3.60, 95% CI: -4.086, -3.114), MCS (β = -6.027, 95% CI: -6.596, -5.459), and SF-6D (β = -0.0716, 95% CI: -0.0779, -0.0652) scores relative to when the individuals exposed to none.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that interventions to improve Australian adults' quality of life should pay particular attention to those who have experienced physical violence and serious injury. Our findings suggest unmet mental health needs for victims of physical violence and serious injuries, which calls for proactive policy interventions that provide psychological and emotional therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome measure when considering medical treatment; however, the impact of polypharmacy on trajectories of HRQoL over time is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the association between polypharmacy status and trajectories of HRQoL in older adults. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study of 2181 community-dwelling adults, 65 years and older, who participated in the 2013 to 2017 waves of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. Polypharmacy was defined as the regular use of ≥ 5 prescription medications. Polypharmacy status was categorised into no polypharmacy, in 2013 only (baseline only polypharmacy), in 2017 only (incident polypharmacy) or at both time points (persistent polypharmacy). HRQoL was assessed through the SF-36 questionnaire generating two summary scores: physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). Linear mixed-effects models stratified according to polypharmacy status and change in comorbidities were used to assess trajectories of HRQoL. Results: Older adults with persistent polypharmacy had lowest scores for HRQoL measures from 2013 to 2017. After adjusting for all covariates, those with incident polypharmacy had the steepest annual decline in both the PCS and MCS: − 0.86 in PCS and − 0.76 in MCS for those with decreasing or stable comorbidities, and − 1.20 in PCS and − 0.75 in MCS for those with increasing comorbidities. Conclusions: Polypharmacy was associated with poorer HRQoL, even after adjusting for confounders. Incident polypharmacy was found to be associated with a clinically important decline in HRQoL and this should be considered when prescribing additional medication to older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to provide new knowledge on the relative importance of key life domains amongst older adults, and how the Coronavirus pandemic has influenced their life (domain) satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administrated to an online panel of the general public aged 65 years and older in Australia from 28 April to 26 May 2020. Life satisfaction was measured by the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI, including both global life satisfaction and life domain satisfaction). A discrete choice experiment technique was used to elicit how respondents perceive the relative importance of six key life domains drawn from the PWI: standard of living, health, relationships, safety, community connectedness, and future security. Results: A total of 1,056 respondents (53% female) with a mean (range) age of 73 (65–91) years old completed the survey. After controlling for a rich set of confounding factors, regardless of the choice of overall life satisfaction indicators, there were consistent findings that the strongest negative influence of COVID-19 on life domains and decrements on life satisfaction was for Personal Health, Personal Relationships and Standard of Living. The DCE data revealed that all six life domains were statistically significant in contributing to a better life, and there exists some preference heterogeneity between those who perceived no impact versus negative impacts from COVID-19. Conclusions: From both revealed and stated preference data there was robust evidence that health, relationships, and standard of living represent the three most important life domains for older adults in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the prospective associations between body mass index (BMI) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).Methods: Data were extracted from a longitudinal, nationally representative sample of 9916 men and women aged 18 years and over who were followed annually between 2006 and 2016 in the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. HRQoL was assessed using the self-administered SF-36 questionnaire annually between 2006 (baseline) and 2016. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight and was classified into the following four categories of baseline BMI: underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2) and obese (≥ 30 kg/m2). We used linear mixed-effects regression models to investigate the associations between change in BMI (kg/m2) and concurrent changes in HRQoL scores over 11 years.Results: BMI gain was associated with deterioration of Physical Component Summary (PCS) (P < 0.001), but not with change in Mental component summary (MCS) over the 11-year period. BMI gain was inversely associated (P < 0.001) with five of the eight HRQoL domains (physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health and vitality) with a significant graded association according to baseline BMI category. Over the 11-year study period, every unit increase in PCS was associated with a decrease of 0.02 (P < 0.001), 0.03 (P < 0.001) and 0.04 (P < 0.001) BMI units per year among participants who were normal, overweight and obese at baseline, respectively. Five of the eight domains of HRQoL (physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, general health and vitality) were inversely associated with BMI (P < 0.001) with a significant graded association according to baseline BMI category.Conclusions: Weight gain was not only associated with deterioration of HRQoL, and vice versa. The bi-directional association was stronger for physical than mental domains of HRQoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the relationship between sociodemographic and lifestyle variables with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of a large cohort of 'healthy' older individuals.Methods: The sample included individuals aged 65+ years from Australia (N = 16,703) and the USA (N = 2411) enrolled in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) multicentre placebo-controlled trial study and free of cardiovascular disease, dementia, serious physical disabilities or 'fatal' illnesses. The associations with the physical (PCS) and mental component scores (MCS) of HRQoL (SF-12 questionnaire) were explored using multiple linear regression models from data collected at baseline (2010-2014).Results: The adjusted PCS mean was slightly higher in the USA (49.5 ± 9.1) than Australia (48.2 ± 11.6; p < 0.001), but MCS was similar in both samples (55.7 ± 7.5 and 55.7 ± 9.6, respectively; p = 0.603). Males, younger participants, better educated, more active individuals, or those currently drinking 1-2 alcoholic drinks/day showed a better HRQoL (results more evident for PCS than MCS), while current heavy smokers had the lowest physical HRQoL in both countries. Neither age, walking time, nor alcohol intake was associated with MCS in either cohort.Conclusions: Baseline HRQoL of ASPREE participants was higher than that reported in population-based studies of older individuals, but the associations between sociodemographic and lifestyle variables were consistent with the published literature. As the cohort ages and develops chronic diseases, ASPREE will be able to document HRQoL changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in people with advanced dementia is challenging but important for informed decision-making. Proxy measurement of this construct is difficult and is often rated lower than self-report. Accurate proxy rating of quality of life in dementia is related to identification of concepts important to the person themselves, as well as the sensitivity of the measures used. The main aim of this study was to compare the performance of two instruments-QUALID and EQ-5D-5L-on measuring HRQOL in people with advanced dementia.Methods: In a sub-study nested within a cluster-RCT we collected proxy(nurse)-completed EQ-5D-5L and QUALID measures at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months' follow-up for people with advanced dementia, residing in 20 nursing homes across Australia. Spearman's rank correlations, partial correlations and linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between the HRQOL instrument scores and their changes over time.Results: The mean weight from 284 people for the EQ-5D-5L and QUALID at baseline were 0.004 (95% CI - 0.026, 0.033) and 24.98 (95% CI 24.13, 25.82), respectively. At 12 months' follow-up, 115 participants remained alive. EQ-5D-5L weights and QUALID scores at baseline and at follow-up were moderately correlated (r = - 0.437; p < 0.001 at 12 months). Changes within QUALID and EQ-5D-5L across the same follow-up periods were also correlated (r = - 0.266; p = 0.005). The regression analyses support these findings.Conclusion: Whilst these quality of life instruments demonstrated moderate correlation, the EQ-5D-5L does not appear to capture all aspects of quality of life that are relevant to people with advanced dementia and we cannot recommend the use of this instrument for use within this population. The QUALID appears to be a more suitable instrument for measuring HRQOL in people with severe dementia, but is not preference-based, which limits its application in economic evaluations of dementia care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of gambling problems on quality of life. Specifically, we generated disability weight estimates for gambling problems in New Zealand, and compared these results with (i) Australian figures (J Gambl Issues, 10.4309/jgi.v0i36.3978, 2017) and (ii) other health states (Lancet, 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61680-8, 2013); such as anxiety and alcohol use disorders.Method: The 324 participants (48 experts and 276 general population members) evaluated a series of gambling harm vignettes. The participants rated the decrement to one's quality of life using Visual Analogue Scale and Time Trade-Off protocols (Br Med Bull, 10.1093/bmb/ldq033, 2010). These evaluations enabled the calculation of disability weights for three categories of gamblers (low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gamblers).Results: Disability weight estimates for low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gamblers in NZ were consistently higher than the Australian weights: low (0.18 vs. 0.13), moderate (0.37 vs. 0.29), and problem (0.54 vs. 0.44). The quality of life impact for problem gambling in NZ (0.54) was comparable to that experienced in severe alcohol use disorder (0.55) (Lancet, 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61680-8, 2013).Conclusions: This study represents one of the first attempts to assess gambling-related harm through a public health perspective. The results of this study are informative for policy-making, resource allocation, and service planning. These estimates now allow for the population-level impact of gambling in NZ to be calculated and tracked over time, which is essential for informing harm-minimisation initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: High prevalence mental disorders including depression, anxiety and substance use disorders are associated with high economic and disease burden. However, there is little information regarding the health state utility values of such disorders according to their clinical severity using comparable instruments across all disorders. This study reports utility values for high prevalence mental disorders using data from the 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB).Methods: Utility values were derived from the AQoL-4D and analysed by disorder classification (affective only (AD), anxiety-related only (ANX), substance use only (SUB) plus four comorbidity groups), severity level (mild, moderate, severe), symptom recency (reported in the past 30 days), and comorbidity (combination of disorders). The adjusted Wald test was applied to detect statistically significant differences of weighted means and the magnitude of difference between groups was presented as a modified Cohen's d.Results: In total, 1526 individuals met criteria for a 12-month mental disorder. The mean utility value was 0.67 (SD = 0.27), with lower utility values associated with higher severity levels and some comorbidities. Utility values for AD, ANX and SUB were 0.64 (SD = 0.25), 0.71 (SD = 0.25) and 0.81 (SD = 0.19), respectively. No differences in utility values were observed between disorders within disorder groups. Utility values were significantly lower among people with recent symptoms (within past 30 days) than those without; when examined by diagnostic group, this pattern held for people with SUB, but not for people with ANX or AD.Conclusions: Health state utility values of people with high prevalence mental disorders differ significantly by severity level, number of mental health comorbidities and the recency of symptoms, which provide new insights on the burden associated with high prevalence mental disorders in Australia. The derived utility values can be used to populate future economic models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hysterectomy is one of the most common gynaecological procedures worldwide. Changes in endocrine function may impact age-associated decline in physical function and these changes may be accelerated by hysterectomy. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between hysterectomy status and self-reported physical function limitations.Methods: Our study sample (n = 8624) came from the mid-cohort (born 1945-1950) of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Self-report of physical function was measured by the Physical Functioning (PF) subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) over seven surveys (1998-2016), categorised into substantial, moderate and minimal PF-limitations. The associations between hysterectomy status and de novo substantial or moderate PF-limitations versus minimal PF-limitations were investigated using log-multinomial regression.Results: By Survey 8 (2016), 20% of the study sample had a hysterectomy with ovarian conservation (hysterectomy only) and 9% had a hysterectomy and both ovaries removed (hysterectomy-bilateral oophorectomy). Women with a hysterectomy only had a small increase in risk of substantial PF-limitations (versus minimal PF-limitations) compared to women with no hysterectomy (relative risk [RR]: 1.13; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.00-1.27); the point estimate was stronger for women with a hysterectomy-bilateral oophorectomy (RR: 1.26; 95% CI 1.09-1.46). In a supplementary analysis, the increased risk of substantial PF-limitations was seen only in women who had surgery before the age of 45 years.Conclusions: Compared to women with no hysterectomy, women with hysterectomy-bilateral oophorectomy were at increased risk of substantial PF-limitations versus minimal PF-limitations over 18 years of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The influence of social capital has been shown to improve health and wellbeing. This study investigates the relationship between changes in social capital and health outcomes during a 6-year follow-up in mid to later life in Australia.Methods: Nationally representative data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey included participants aged 45 years and over who responded in 2006, 2010 and 2012 (N = 3606). Each of the three components of social capital (connectedness, trust and participation) was measured in Waves 2006 and 2010 and categorised as: 'never low', 'transitioned to low', 'transitioned out of low' and 'consistently low'. Health outcomes in 2012 included self-rated overall health, physical functioning, and mental health based on the Short Form 36-item health survey (SF-36). Multivariable logistic regression assessed changes in social capital (measured in 2006 and 2010) predicted poor health (measured in 2012), adjusting for covariates.Results: Consistently low trust was significantly associated with higher odds of transitions into poor physical functioning (AOR 1.54; 95% Confidence Interval 1.06-1.22), poor mental health (AOR 1.59; 95% CI 1.08-2.36) and poor self-rated health (AOR 1.86; 95% CI 1.27-2.72). Transition into low trust was also a predictor of poor self-rated health after adjusting for covariates (AOR 1.74; 95% CI 1.11-2.73). Changes in social connectedness in both directions (transitioned out of and into low) were statistically associated with poor self-rated health (AORs 1.40; 95% CI 1.00-1.97 and 1.61; 95% CI 1.11-2.34, respectively) after adjusting for confounders as well as other social capital components.Conclusions: Our longitudinal findings reveal social capital dynamics and effects on health in mid to later life. Social trust and connectedness could be important enablers for older persons to be more active in the community and potentially benefit their health and wellbeing over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We examine timing of motherhood in a longitudinal cohort of young Australian women, and its relationship with mental health-related quality of life (SF-36 MHI-5), and with sociodemographic, health behaviour and health-related variables.Methods: We analysed longitudinal self-report data from a nationally representative cohort of 10,332 Australian women born 1973-1978, surveyed 6 times between 1996 (aged 18-23) and 2012 (aged 34-39).Results: Group-based trajectory modelling identified four groups. Normative Mothers (46%, mean age at motherhood 30.5 years) made the transition to motherhood close to the Australian median age. Early Mothers (25%, 25.2 years) and Very Early Mothers (7%, 20.0 years) made this transition earlier; Not Mothers (22%) had not given birth. Generalised linear mixed models showed that all groups improved mean MHI-5 scores over time. Patterns of group differences were complex: Normative and Early Mothers scored consistently highest; Very Early Mothers scored lowest at most surveys; Not Mothers' scores increased relative to others over time. Most effects disappeared after adjustment for confounders. Early and Very Early Mothers showed multiple indicators of social disadvantage, while Not Mothers had very low rates of marriage.Conclusions: Timing of motherhood is embedded in sociodemographic and personal contexts. Women with socioeconomic advantages were characterised by higher mental health-related quality of life and later transition to motherhood, but adjustment for relative advantage attenuated differences in mental health-related quality of life. The overall findings suggest a pattern of positive adaptation to circumstances, with mental health-related quality of life improving through early adulthood regardless of timing of motherhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate associations between aspects of time use and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in youth.Methods: 239 obese and healthy-weight 10- to 13-year-old Australian children completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) quantifying their health-related quality of life. Time use was evaluated over four days using the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents (MARCA), a validated 24 h recall tool. The average number of minutes/day spent in physical activity (divided into sport, active transport and play), screen time (divided into television, videogames and computer use), and sleep were calculated. Percent fat was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, Tanner stage by self-report, and household income by parental report. Sex-stratified analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares regression, with percent fat, Tanner stage, household income, and use-of-time as the independent variables, and PedsQL™ total, physical and psychosocial subscale scores as the dependent variables.Results: For boys, the most important predictors of HRQoL were percent fat (negative), videogames (negative), sport (positive), and Tanner stage (negative). For girls, the significant predictors were percent fat (negative), television (negative), sport (positive), active transport (negative), and household income (positive).Conclusion: While body fat was the most significant correlate of HRQoL, sport was independently associated with better HRQoL, and television and videogames with poorer HRQoL. Thus, parents and clinicians should be mindful that not all physical activity and screen-based behaviours have equivocal relationships with children's HRQoL. Prospective research is needed to confirm causation and to inform current activity guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Psychosocial factors are important determinants of an individual's health. This study examines the association between health scores and social network factors on mental health across different life stages.Methods: Data were drawn from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey for adolescents (n = 1739), adults (n = 10,309) and seniors (n = 2287). Hierarchical regression modelling was applied to examine effects within and across age groups. All the variables were derived from the self-completion questionnaire.Results: The social network factors were statistically significant predictors of mental health outcomes for all three life stages. For adolescents, the three social network factors were statistically significant with social isolation having the largest impact (β = -.284, p < .001), followed by social connection (β = .084, p < .001) and social trust having a similar effect (β = .073, p < .001). For adults social isolation had the highest impact (β = -.203, p < .001), followed by social connection (β = .110, p < .001) and social trust (β = .087, p < .001).The results for seniors were social isolation (β = -.188, p < .001), social connection (β = .147, p < .001) and social trust (β = .032, p < .05).Conclusions: After adding the social network factors, the models improved significantly with social isolation playing the most significant role across all life stages, whereas the other social network factors played a differentiated role depending upon the life stage. These findings have practical implications in the design of mental health interventions across different life stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Lipoedema is a chronic, progressive adipose disorder of unknown etiology, often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed as obesity. It manifests itself with accumulation of the fat in lower parts of the body and associated edema and, due to numerous physical and psychological consequences, affects the quality of life (QOL) of those who suffer. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychological factors that might have an impact on the QOL of women with lipoedema from the contextual behavioral viewpoint.Methods: In an Internet-based cross-sectional study, women suffering from lipoedema (N = 120) were asked to fill in questionnaires assessing: symptom severity, QOL (WHOQOL-BREF), satisfaction with life (SWLS), psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II), social connectedness (Social Connectedness Scale-Revised) and other psychological factors. The majority of participants were from the USA, the UK, and Australia.Results: Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that a higher level of QOL was predicted by higher levels of psychological flexibility and social connectedness, while controlling for symptom severity. Higher level of SWL was predicted only by higher level of social connectedness.Conclusions: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with psychological flexibility as the target of change and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy with social connectedness as the target of change might be useful in treating women with lipoedema; however, further research in this area is needed. The authors conclude that psychological and biomedical interventions for women with lipoedema and their QOL merit more attention from researchers and the medical community than is currently received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to profile the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of secondary school-aged children in Australia. The secondary purpose was to contribute to the international literature on the HRQoL of adolescents using the KIDSCREEN instrument.Methods: The KIDSCREEN-27 Questionnaire was completed by 1111 adolescents aged between 11 and 17 from six Australian secondary schools. MANCOVA analysis was employed to examine age and gender differences.Results: Over 70 % of participants reported high levels of HRQoL across all five dimensions. Age patterns were identified with younger adolescents reporting greater HRQoL than older adolescents. Similarly, gender differences were noted with male adolescents reporting higher scores than female adolescents on three out of five dimensions of HRQoL.Conclusions: This is the first study to measure HRQoL in Australian adolescents using the KIDSCREEN instrument. Consistent with previous research, gender and age differences were found across most dimensions of HRQoL. These results highlight the importance of comprehensively measuring the HRQoL in adolescents to capture developmental shifts and to inform preventative and supportive programs as needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Although cancer can seriously affect peoples’ sexual well-being, survivors and patients may be reluctant to answer questions about sex. This reluctance may be stronger for immigrants. This study aimed to investigate missing sex data rates and predictors of missingness in two large studies on immigrants and Anglo-Australian controls with cancer and to investigate whether those with missing sex data may have worse sexual outcomes than those with complete data. Methods: We carried out two studies aimed at describing the quality of life (QoL) and unmet needs amongst Arabic, Chinese and Greek immigrants versus Anglo-Australians cancer survivors ( n = 596, recruited from cancer registries) and patients ( n = 845). Logistic regression was used to model the probability of having missing sex data in either of the questionnaires. We compared the mean of the unmet sex needs responses of those who had missing QoL sex data (but not needs) to those who had completed both, and vice versa. Results: Missing sex data rates were as high as 65 %, with immigrants more likely to skip sex items than Anglo-Australians ( p = 0.02 for registry study, p < 0.0001 for hospital study). Women, older participants and participants with more advanced disease had increased odds of missingness. There was evidence that data were informatively missing. Additionally, the questionnaire which stated that the sex questions are optional had higher missing data rates. Conclusion: High missing data rates and informatively missing data can lead to biased results. Using the questionnaires that state that they may skip sex items may lead to an underestimation of sexual problems or an overestimation of quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The impact of stigma on subjective wellbeing was explored in adults living with HIV in Australia and the USA. It was hypothesised that this population would report poorer subjective wellbeing than the general population and that 'felt' stigma would contribute significantly to reported levels of subjective wellbeing. Methods: A total of 274 participants were recruited through Australian AIDS councils and HIV-specific online support groups . Participants completed a composite questionnaire comprising the personal wellbeing index-adult (PWI-A), the HIV version of the unsupportive social interactions inventory (USII) and demographic and health-related items. The PWI-A total score was used to form a personal wellbeing index, ranging from 0 to 100. Results: Participants reported mean PWI-A total scores of 54.7, considerably below the normative range of 70-80 for Western populations. There was a strong negative correlation between PWI-A total scores and USII total scores with the experience of high levels of unsupportive social interactions being associated with reduced levels of subjective wellbeing. Conclusions: Our study suggests that despite antidiscrimination legislation, 'felt' stigma in the form of unsupportive social interactions continues to exert a negative impact on subjective wellbeing. Reduced subjective wellbeing may increase the risk of adverse health behaviours, such as medication non-adherence, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviours and non-disclosure of HIV serostatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To explore the cross-sectional relationships between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and physical activity (PA) behaviours and screen-based media (SBM) use among a sample of Australian adolescents. Methods: Data came from baseline measures collected for the It's Your Move! community-based obesity prevention intervention. Questionnaire data on sociodemographics, PA, SBM and HRQoL were collected from 3,040 students (56% boys) aged 11-18 years in grade levels 7-11 in 12 secondary schools. Anthropometric data were measured. Results: The highest level of PA at recess, lunchtime and after school was associated with higher HRQoL scores (boys, by 5.3, 8.1, 6.3 points; girls, by 4.2, 6.1, 8.2 points) compared with not being active during these periods. Exceeding 2 h of SBM use each day was associated with significantly lower HRQoL scores (boys, by 3.2 points; girls, by 4.0 points). Adolescents who were physically active and low SBM users on school days had higher HRQoL scores (boys, by 6.6 points; girls, by 7.8 points) compared with those who were not physically active every school day and high SBM users on school days. Conclusions: Several of the relationships between low PA and high SBM use and HRQoL were comparable to those previously observed between chronic disease conditions and HRQoL, indicating that these behaviours deserve substantial attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To examine the psychometric properties of, and present reference scores for the SF-36 using data from a large community sample of older adults. Methods: Data are from the DYNOPTA project. We focus on data from five studies that included the SF-36, providing a sample of 41,338 participants aged 45-97 years. We examine the factor structure of the SF-36 and item-internal consistency. Results: The psychometric properties of the eight scales of the SF-36 were largely consistent with previous research based on younger and/or smaller samples. However, the assumption of orthogonality between the second-order factors was not supported. In terms of age-related effects, most scales demonstrated a nonlinear effect with markedly poorer health evident for the oldest respondents. In addition, the scales measuring aspects of physical health (PH, BP, RP, GH) showed an overall linear decline in health with increasing age. There were, however, no consistent linear age-related differences in health evident for those scales most strongly associated with mental health (MH, RE, SF, VT). Conclusions: The results confirm the structural validity and internal consistency of the eight scales from the SF-36 with an older population and support its use to assess the health of older Australian adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the relationship of the eight SF-36 v1 subscale scores to the summary scores of the PCS and MCS derived from two different scoring algorithms: one based on the original scoring method (Ware, Kosinski and Keller, SF-36 physical and mental health summary scales: a users manual. The Health Institute, New England Medical Centre, Boston, MA, 1994); and the other based on scoring algorithms that use parameters derived from structural equation modelling. Further, to provide SF-12 scoring algorithms similarly based on structural equation modelling. Methods: The Australian Bureau of Statistics 1995 Australian National Health Survey dataset was used as the basis for the production of coefficients. There were 18,141 observations with no missing data for all eight SF-36 subscales following imputation of data items, and 17,479 observations with no missing data for the SF-12 data items. Data were analysed in LISREL V8.71. Structural equation models were fit to the data in confirmatory factor analyses producing weighted least squares estimates, which overcame anomalies found in the traditional orthogonal scoring methods. Results: Models with acceptable fits to the hypothesised factor structure were produced, generating factor score weighting coefficients for use with the SF-36 and SF-12 data items, to produce PCS and MCS summary scores consistent with their underlying subscale scores. Conclusions: The coefficients generated will score the SF-36 summary PCS and MCS in a manner consistent with their subscales. Previous Australian studies using version 1 of SF-36 or SF-12 can re-score their summary scores using these coefficients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How the cognitive and/or physical impairment experienced by care recipients impacts on their carers is not well understood. This study investigated the effect of type of impairment of care recipients on the level of burden and quality of life (QOL) of elderly Australian carers. This article describes a nested cross-sectional substudy of 276 older women (aged 78–83 years) enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health who indicated they were providing care for someone living with them. In this nationally representative sample of elderly women carers, 60% were looking after people (predominantly their husbands) who had both cognitive and physical impairments. Carers of people with both types of impairments had higher scores for objective burden of caring than those caring for people with either type of impairment alone. In contrast, scores for limitations on their own lives were higher among women caring for people with cognitive impairments (with or without physical impairments). The majority of elderly women caring for someone else are likely to suffer multifaceted burdens of caring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The SF36 Version 2 (SF36V2) is a revision of the SF36 Version 1, and is a widely used health status measure. It is important that guidelines for interpreting scores are available.Method: A population sample of Australians (n = 3015) weighted to achieve representativeness was administered the SF36V2. Comparisons between published US weights and sample derived weights were made, and Australian population norms computed and presented.Major Findings: Significant differences were observed on 7/8 scales and on the mental health summary scale. Possible causes of these findings may include different sampling and data collection procedures, demographic characteristics, differences in data collection time (1998 vs. 2004), differences in health status or differences in cultural perception of the meaning of health. Australian population norms by age cohort, gender and health status are reported by T-score as recommended by the instrument developers. Additionally, the proportions of cases within T-score deciles are presented and show there are important data distribution issues.Principal Conclusions: The procedures reported here may be used by other researchers where local effects are suspected. The population norms presented may be of interest. There are statistical artefacts associated with T-scores that have implications for how SF36V2 data are analysed and interpreted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a self-administered needs assessment questionnaire for people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), assess its face, content and construct validity and test the reliability of the instrument. Eighty-four people with SLE, registered with a Lupus Resource Centre in New South Wales, Australia participated in a series of focus groups and pre and pilot testing phases in the development of a needs instrument and 594 people from a SLE support association were sent the SLE needs questionnaire (SLENQ) and the MOS-SF-36 and asked to complete both. Face and content validity were found to be high following pre and pilot testing. Principal components analysis identified seven factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, which together accounted for 53% of the total variance (psychological/spiritual/existential, health services, health information, physical, social, daily living and employment/financial needs). Internal reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) of all seven factor-based scales were found to be substantial, ranging from 0.77 to 0.96. Moderately significant correlation between the domains of the SLENQ and the MOS SF-36 were supportive in ascertaining concurrent validity. These findings suggest that the SLENQ provides a reliable and valid index of the global needs of people with SLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To use health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) data from the Australian 1995 National Health Survey to estimate the impact of obesity (as measured by body mass index or BMI) on utility and quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE).Method: SF-36 responses from 12,661 individuals in the general population were transformed into utility values using the SF-6D algorithm developed by Brazier and colleagues. Separate regression analyses for males and females were used to examine the impact of BMI and five obesity-related medical conditions (diabetes, coronary heart disease, depression, musculoskeletal disorders, and cancer) on utility. The utility estimates were used to provide indicative estimates of the decrease in QALE associated with being overweight or obese.Results: There was a statistically significant negative relationship between BMI and utility for males and females. For males (females), the marginal effect of a one-unit increase in BMI was associated with a -0.0024 (-0.0034) decrement in utility. Based on these estimates, a non-smoking male (female) aged 40 years who is obese can expect 7.2 (8.7) years less of QALE over their remaining lifetime.Conclusions: Results suggest that BMI is negatively associated with utility. Evaluation of policies designed to prevent or treat obesity should capture HRQoL as an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older women are at increasing risk of various forms of familial violence, yet detection is poor and very little is known of the long-term health effects of this psychosocial problem. The effectiveness of the 'Vulnerability to Abuse' Screening Scale (VASS) in predicting three year health outcomes was investigated among women enrolled in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, now known as Women's Health Australia.Methods: The sample comprised a cohort of 10,421 women aged 73-78 who completed the 1996 and 1999 postal surveys (attrition rate 19.5%). The Time 2 sample had a small bias towards lower risk for elder abuse at Time 1 and better health on SF-36 and self-rated health. The VASS is a 12-item self-report measure with 4 factors: vulnerability, coercion, dependence and dejection.Results: Overall, physical health (PCS) declined while mental health (MCS) increased over the three year period. Decline in physical health was predicted by only the dejection factor, but not by factors which seem to more directly measure abuse. The predictive validity of the VASS for three year mental health outcomes was given partial support. Three of the four VASS factors (dejection, vulnerability, and coercion) predicted decline in mental health at the univariate level, however, after adjusting for confounders, only one VASS factor (dejection) independently predicted decline in mental health.Conclusions: While the VASS shows some promise as a marker of health risk in older women, only the dejection factor proved consistently predictive of declining health status. Further research is needed to determine longer term predictive validity of the scale and to gain a clearer picture of how abusive experiences impact on older women's health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is frequently used in cancer studies, yet its utility for comparing people with cancer with people in the community is uncertain.Methods: HADS scores were obtained from population-based samples of women with (n = 731) and without (n = 158) early-onset breast cancer. Psychometric properties were examined using differential item functioning (DIF) which is the presence of systematic group differences in certain response items independent of the trait being measured.Results: Women with breast cancer scored lower than reference women on anxiety (mean (SD) 7.5 (4.3) vs. 8.2 (4.0); p = 0.06) and depression (3.3 (3.2) vs. 4.2 (3.0); p = 0.003). Group differences remained following adjustment for demographics. Time since diagnosis was not related to anxiety or depression scores. DIF was present in two anxiety and five depression items. Adjustment for DIF did not substantially change the anxiety or depression group differences.Conclusion: Specific sampling or DIF effects do not explain the observation that women with breast cancer have lower levels of anxiety and depression than population controls. The psychometric properties of the HADS appear to be acceptable in these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When collecting data researchers can interview participants, conduct telephone interviews, or mailout questionnaires. Often mixed methods are used. Whether these methods produce equivalent data is under-researched in the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) field. In addition, the effect of using filter questions has not been researched among HRQoL multi-attribute utility instruments. This study randomly sampled from Melbourne, Australia, and employed a test-retest design to investigate whether mail or telephone interview made any difference to Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument utility scores. A filter question AQoL version investigated the effect of filters on scores. There was no significant difference in standard AQoL scores between mail self-completion and telephone interview, regardless of which was administered first. Inclusion of filter questions encouraged respondents to select the best response category thereby screening out minor health conditions. The effect was to increase utility scores by 0.06 or 7%. This effect has not been previously reported in utility instruments and has profound implications for economic evaluations using cost-utility analysis; there are implications for researchers using filter questions in general. In conclusion, researchers should feel confident that utility scores elicited from the standard AQoL through self-completion mail and telephone interview administrations are directly comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessments for quality of life (QOL) of the adolescent have received relatively little attention in the literature. Although there is no consensus on the definition of adolescent QOL and what aspects should be measured, it is generally accepted that QOL is a multidimensional construct. The objective of this study is to determine the measurement properties of the latent factors underlying adolescent QOL based on a second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A recursive structural equation model (SEM) is then proposed to determine the direction and magnitude of the interdependent effects among the latent factors. The questionnaire used was the Quality of Life Profile-Adolescent Version (QOLPAV). A sample of 363 adolescents was recruited from 20 secondary schools in Perth, Australia. The second-order CFA suggested that adolescent QOL may be measured by five underlying constructs namely social, environment, psychological, health, and opportunities for growth. The interdependent relations among these constructs identified the environment factor as primary, exerting both direct and indirect effects on the other four factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]