Health-Related Quality of Life of Caregivers of Children and Adolescents With Disease in Korea
Author(s)
Serim Min, PhD, Sun-Hong Kwon, RPh, PhD, EUI-KYUNG LEE, RPh, PhD.
Sungkyunkwan university, Suwon, Korea, Republic of.
Sungkyunkwan university, Suwon, Korea, Republic of.
OBJECTIVES: Pediatric and adolescent illnesses often exert significant indirect effects on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of caregivers, particularly parents. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pediatric and adolescent diseases on caregivers’ HRQoL.
METHODS: We utilized nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2010 to 2020. Pediatric and adolescents under 18 years of age with at least one reported disease—ADHD, asthma, atopic dermatitis, sinusitis, or activity limitation—were identified, and their parents were included as caregivers. EQ-5D-3L index values were used to measure HRQoL. Multiple modeling approaches were applied, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Tobit regression, and Gamma Generalized Linear Model (GLM). Given the left-skewed distribution of utility values, they were transformed into disutility (1 - utility) to allow modeling with Gamma GLM, which assume right-skewed data. The impact on primary caregivers, defined as non-working women, was also examined.
RESULTS: A total of 16,215 parents completed the EQ-5D questionnaire without missing values; 9,612 had a child with disease, and 6,603 did not. Caregivers of children with any reported disease exhibited significantly lower HRQoL. The presence of a children with any illness was associated with utility decrements of 0.0036 (OLS) and 0.0183 (Tobit). ADHD had the largest impact on caregiver HRQoL, with utility reductions of 0.0137 (OLS) and 0.0341 (Tobit). For asthma, the corresponding values were 0.0078 (OLS) and 0.0298 (Tobit). According to Gamma GLM, disutility (1-utility) was 1.104 times higher for caregivers of children with any reported disease and 1.210 times higher for those with asthma; ADHD was not statistically significant. Primary caregivers demonstrated more substantial HRQoL reductions compared to all caregivers.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides empirical evidence that pediatric and adolescent diseases adversely affect caregiver HRQoL, serving as a foundational reference for future health policy in Korea that emphasizes the inclusion of caregiver utility.
METHODS: We utilized nationally representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2010 to 2020. Pediatric and adolescents under 18 years of age with at least one reported disease—ADHD, asthma, atopic dermatitis, sinusitis, or activity limitation—were identified, and their parents were included as caregivers. EQ-5D-3L index values were used to measure HRQoL. Multiple modeling approaches were applied, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Tobit regression, and Gamma Generalized Linear Model (GLM). Given the left-skewed distribution of utility values, they were transformed into disutility (1 - utility) to allow modeling with Gamma GLM, which assume right-skewed data. The impact on primary caregivers, defined as non-working women, was also examined.
RESULTS: A total of 16,215 parents completed the EQ-5D questionnaire without missing values; 9,612 had a child with disease, and 6,603 did not. Caregivers of children with any reported disease exhibited significantly lower HRQoL. The presence of a children with any illness was associated with utility decrements of 0.0036 (OLS) and 0.0183 (Tobit). ADHD had the largest impact on caregiver HRQoL, with utility reductions of 0.0137 (OLS) and 0.0341 (Tobit). For asthma, the corresponding values were 0.0078 (OLS) and 0.0298 (Tobit). According to Gamma GLM, disutility (1-utility) was 1.104 times higher for caregivers of children with any reported disease and 1.210 times higher for those with asthma; ADHD was not statistically significant. Primary caregivers demonstrated more substantial HRQoL reductions compared to all caregivers.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides empirical evidence that pediatric and adolescent diseases adversely affect caregiver HRQoL, serving as a foundational reference for future health policy in Korea that emphasizes the inclusion of caregiver utility.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
PCR120
Topic
Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Health State Utilities, Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes
Disease
Pediatrics