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Introduction The aim of the study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in subjects with and without self-reported diabetes in a representative sample of the Polish general adult population. Material and methods Members of the general Polish population, selected with multi-stage stratified sampling, filled in the Short Form-12 (SF-12) questionnaire and answered a question about the diagnosis of diabetes. We estimated four types of outcomes: eight domain scores, physical component (PCS-12) and mental component (MCS-12) summaries, and a measure of overall health status weighted according to societal health preferences – SF-6D. We used multiple linear regression to examine the associations of sociodemographic characteristics with SF-12 summary indices. Results Among 2938 respondents with complete SF-12 data, the prevalence of self-reported diabetes was 8.5% (95% CI: 7.5–9.6). Respondents with diabetes differed significantly from non-diabetic subjects in all SF-12 dimensions, with the most significant differences in physical functioning, general health, role physical and bodily pain (differences of means 31.9, 24.9, 24.1 and 22.3 points, respectively). Analysis across age groups showed that diabetes was associated with a mean decrease in PCS-12 and MCS-12 by 4.6 and 1.4 points, respectively. Female sex, advanced age, low education levels and treatment with insulin were independently associated with the impaired physical health of respondents with diabetes. Conclusions We provided a consistent description of HRQoL, measured using the SF-12 questionnaire, in subjects with self-reported diabetes and respondents without diabetes in a nationally representative sample of Polish adults. Identifying factors independently associated with worse HRQoL in respondents with diabetes may help healthcare providers target intervention programmes more effectively.

Introduction: The new, five-level version of the EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire has better psychometric properties than the standard three-level version (EQ-5D-3L), including a reduced ceiling effect. Currently, there are few existing population norms for the EQ-5D-5L. The aims of this study were to provide population norms for the EQ-5D-5L in Poland, based on a representative sample of adults, and to compare those with norms from other countries. Material and methods: Members of the general public, selected through multistage stratified sampling, filled in paper-and-pencil EQ-5D-5L questionnaires in the presence of an interviewer. EQ-5D-5L index values were estimated using an interim value set, based on a crosswalk methodology. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the EQ-5D-5L index. The distribution of answers was obtained for the descriptive part of the EQ-5D-5L. Results: The sample was representative of the Polish population in terms of age, gender, geographical region, education, and socio-professional group. Population norms were developed based on 3963 questionnaires with no missing data. At least one slight, moderate, severe, and extreme health limitation was reported by 61.5%, 31.1%, 12.4%, and 1.6% of the respondents, respectively. Polish society is characterized by poorer health, as compared to its direct neighbor, Germany, especially with regard to the individuals’ perception of pain, as well as anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Polish population norms for the EQ-5D-5L should encourage clinicians, economists, and policymakers in Poland to use this questionnaire on a broader scale.