BPharm, PhD
Discipline of Social & Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
*Correspondence: aakmal@usm.my; aichiliew@yahoo.com
Abstract
Divergences in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire responses may be attributed to multi-ethnic variation. Objective: The aim of this research is to examine the construct validity of the EQ-5D-3L in the context of Sabah, with Kadazan-Dusun constituting the preponderance of transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) cases. Method: Independently or with the help of their careers, TDT patients who had received iron chelators answered a series of questionnaires. Along with the established group validity, test-retest reliability and correlations between HRQOL instruments were ascertained. Results: The study included 332 patients in all, 173 of whom completed the reliability analysis. EQ-5D-3L clarity and comprehension were observed in the majority of patients. The EQ-5D-3L is moderately correlated with the SF-36 and PedsQL. Reliability across domains is moderate to strong, with proxy reporting outperforming self-reporting. Conclusion: The results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of the EQ-5D-3L in Sabah population.
Abstract
Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the cost of a behavioral risk factor reduction program at the worksite and to compare the cost-effectiveness of the program with a control group. Methodology: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted among employees of Universiti Sains Malaysia. The program targeted five primary risk factors (RF). Participants in the intervention program were subjected to schedule individualized counseling and seminars during the 6- month follow-up. Participants in the control group underwent health screening. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted from the payer’s perspective to determine the cost of 1% increase in proportion of participants who reach ideal targets for the RF. One-way sensitivity analysis was also conducted. Results: A total 136 participants were recruited in this study. At 6-month follow-up, significantly higher proportion of participants in the intervention group reached target for fruit and vegetable intake (P < 0.001) and physical activity (P = 0.017). The costs of the intervention program and control group were estimated to be MYR304.52 (USD92.28) and MYR169.90 (USD51.48) per participant respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of all the RF were lower than the World Health Organization recommendation based on the CHOICE analyses for relative cost-effectiveness of an intervention. Body mass index and alcohol consumption reported negative ICER which indicated control dominant. Sensitivity analyses showed that ICER was reported to be most sensitive to the change in participants’ salary. Conclusion: The proposed health promotion program was shown to be cost-effective in modifying most of the behavioral RF.