The EuroQol Group's health descriptive systems, the EQ-5D-3L and its successor introduced in 2009, the EQ-5D-5L, are widely used worldwide for valuing health-related quality of life for cost-utility analysis and patient-reported health outcome measures. A new online tool for creating personal and social EQ-5D-5L value sets was recently developed and trialled in New Zealand (NZ). The tool, which includes extensive checks of the quality of participants' data, implements the PAPRIKA method - a novel type of adaptive discrete choice experiment in the present context - and a binary search algorithm to identify any health states worse than dead. After development and testing, the tool was distributed in an online survey in February and March 2018 to a representative sample of NZ adults (N = 5112), whose personal value sets were created. The tool's extensive data quality checks resulted in a 'high-quality' sub-sample of 2468 participants whose personal value sets were, in effect, averaged to create a social value set for NZ. These results overall as well as feedback from participants indicates that the new valuation tool is feasible and acceptable to participants, enabling valuation data to be relatively easily and cheaply collected. The tool could also be used in other countries, tested against other methods for creating EQ-5D-5L value sets, applied in personalised medicine and adapted to create value sets for other health descriptive systems.

Background In 2010, the New Zealand (NZ) government introduced an annual 10% tobacco excise tax increase. We examined retailers' adherence to recommended retail prices (RRP), and whether the RRP included the full tax increase. Methods We collected price data on three British American Tobacco (BAT) factory-made cigarette brands, (premium, mainstream, and budget), and one roll-your-own tobacco brand before and after the 2014 tax increase from a sample of tobacco retailers. We examined price increases in each tobacco brand and compared these with the RRP. The extent to which the excise tax increases had been included in the RRP since 2010 was estimated using data sourced from the Ministry of Health and NZ Customs. Findings The median increase in price from before to after the tax change was only 3% for the budget brand (461 retailers). This contrasted with the median of 8% for the premium brand (448 retailers), and 11% for both mainstream and roll-your-own brands (471 and 464 retailers, respectively). While many retail outlets made changes according to the RRP set by BAT, several did not comply. Our analyses suggest BAT may be undershifting excise tax on the budget brand, and overshifting tax on brands in other price partitions. Conclusions Tobacco companies do not appear to be increasing the RRPs of budget brands in line with tobacco excise tax increases. The increasing price differential between budget brands, and mainstream and premium brands may undermine cessation and impede realisation of New Zealand's Smokefree 2025 goal.

To derive New Zealand (NZ) population norms for the EQ-5D-5L and to examine the association between participants' sociodemographic characteristics and their health-related quality of life. Data from the 2018 NZ EQ-5D-5L valuation study (n = 2468) were used. Each participant's 5-digit profile was converted to a single utility value using their personal value set. The profiles, mean utility values, and mean EuroQol visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) scores were summarized by dimension and disaggregated by age group and gender. Multivariable logistic and Tobit regressions were used to investigate the association between participants' sociodemographic characteristics and the EQ-5D-5L dimensions, utility values, and EQ-VAS scores. The mean utility value was 0.847 and the mean EQ-VAS score was 74.8. Of the 3125 possible EQ-5D-5L profiles, 25 profiles represented the current health status of the majority of participants (78%). The odds of having problems with anxiety or depression was greatest for people aged 18 to 24 years and decreased with age. People with a long-term disability or chronic illness had greater odds of problems on all dimensions and lower (poorer) utility values and EQ-VAS scores. Age, ethnicity, employment status, long-term disability, and chronic illness were associated with utility. EQ-5D-5L population norms were derived for the NZ population using the personal value sets of 2468 participants. Consistent with other countries' population norms, EQ-5D-5L utility values and EQ-VAS scores were associated with age, employment status, long-term disability, and chronic illness. These norms will support resource allocation decision making and help in understanding the health-related quality of life of the NZ population.

In countries with publicly funded health care, there is an increasing need for explicit rationing for total joint arthroplasty (TJA). The Oxford Hip and Knee Scores (OHS/OKS) have been used to set access thresholds for TJA despite not being developed for that purpose. The aim of this study was to determine whether preoperative OHS/OKS can aid rationing decisions by investigating the changes in general health-related quality of life after TJA. OHS/OKS, Short Form-12, and Short Form-6D (SF-6D) scores were collected preoperatively and at 1 year postoperatively in a cohort of patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA; n = 713) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA; n = 520). The association between preoperative OHS/OKS and postoperative score and the change in OHS/OKS and SF-6D was investigated, adjusting for age and gender. The mean Oxford scores improved from 13.9 to 40.7 (OHS) and 15.6 to 37.4 (OKS). The mean SF-6D improved after THA (0.53 to 0.80) and TKA (0.56 to 0.78) (all P < .0001). Poorer preoperative Oxford scores were associated with poorer postoperative OHS/OKS and SF-6D but larger improvements. For every 5 points lower preoperative OHS/OKS, the postoperative SF-6D score was worse by a margin of 0.019 (THA) and 0.023 (TKA). Preoperative OHS/OKS can help inform rationing decisions. A lower preoperative OHS/OKS will result in greater gains but a lower final outcome score in general health-related quality of life.

We conducted a field experiment to find out whether a sample of the New Zealand general public preferred to give money to World Vision, an international development charity, or the Salvation Army, a local charity helping families in need. The majority of participants revealed a preference for giving to the local charity, rather than the international development charity. Participants were given the option of commenting on why they chose the charity they did, and we analyze these responses. We also analyze whether participants’ individual characteristics are correlated with the choice of charity.