Quality of life among pregnant women with chronic energy deficiency in rural Bangladesh

Quality of life scores of health conditions are needed for measuring quality adjusted life years (QALY), the most common outcome measure in cost-utility analysis. To measure QALY scores we used EQ-5D and a visual analogue scales (VIS). EQ-5D is a standardised instrument for measuring quality of life using five dimensions applicable to a wide range of health conditions. VAS had the endpoints “full health” and “death”. We assessed the scores for chronic energy deficiency (CED) characterised by low body mass index (BMI < 18.5), a condition highly prevalent among rural Bangladeshi women. EuroQol (EQ)-5D and VAS were used to measure when the condition was worst and VAS measured the current health status. We interviewed 285 pregnant and postpartum women, with 236 (83%) having complete information. Mean scores for CED when perceived to be most severe were 0.30 (EQ-5D, interquartile range −0.02 to 0.52) and 0.27 (visual analogue scale, interquartile range 0.12–0.39) in scales with scores ranging from −0.54 to 1.00 and from 0 to 1.00, respectively. The mean score for current health status derived from the visual analogue scale was 0.49 (95% CI for mean 0.45–0.52) in a scale with scores ranging from 0 to 1.00. Rural Bangladeshi women attached very low quality of life scores to CED. The scores are comparable to scores attached to severe debilitating conditions like cancer in western countries. If considered in the global perspective, prevention of chronic energy deficiency among women in developing countries should be given high priority.