OBJECTIVES: Greater adoption of the EQ-5D-5L as a measure of population health will be enhanced with evidence of the performance of the instrument against recognised measures of inequality. This analysis seeks to understand the relationship between deprivation and EQ-5D-5L for individuals with long COVID.

METHODS: Mātauranga Raranga | Long COVID Registry Aotearoa collects data on individuals who self-report symptoms of long COVID. The New Zealand Index of Multiple Deprivation 2018 (IMD18) collects socio-demographic information related to data zones, deprivation score and domain ranks. Health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) is collected using the EQ-5D-5L, using recall for pre-COVID HRQoL and today, with monthly follow-up. The registry is underpinned by a Tiriti o Waitangi Framework and partnership model of practice which seeks to avoid deficit framing. Separate analyses of Māori and non-Māori respondents explore the demographic decomposition by deprivation quintiles, EQ-5D-5L values and profiles in the top and bottom quintiles. Regression analyses consider potential relationships between EQ-5D-5L and deprivation.

RESULTS: Analyses of collected data up to 30 September 2023 have formed the bases of an interim report (8.3% Māori; 91.7% non-Māori). 14% (25%) of Māori (non-Māori) live in IMD18 quintile 1 (least deprived). 24% (12%) of Māori (non-Māori) live in quintile 5 (most deprived). Pre-COVID (baseline) and today (with long COVID symptoms) EQ-5D-5L had a mean value of 0.853 (0.892) and 0.484 (0.533) respectively for Māori (non-Māori), with the difference in EQ-5D-5L being significant. Exploring the relationship between pre-COVID EQ-5D and IMD18 finds a significant difference for those in Q4 compared to Q1 for non-Māori, EQ-5D-5L is lower.

CONCLUSIONS: A recent systematic review to assess the prevalence and symptomology of long COVID found few studies that considered ethnicity and no studies which considered indices of deprivation. This study addresses that evidence gap and additionally explores the relationship between EQ-5D-5L and deprivation.