Introduction The EuroQol Health and Well-Being (EQ-HWB) is a generic quality of life questionnaire in development, to capture more detailed aspects of health and well-being than EQ-5D-5L. This paper examines the measurement properties and factor structure of the EQ-HWB in comparison with the EQ-5D-5L.

Methods Respondents (i) with or without caregiver tasks, and (ii) with different diseases, or (iii) in full health, were recruited online. Ceiling effects, convergent validity and divergent validity, known disease and caregiver group differences were explored and an explorative factor analysis employed.

Results 500 respondents were recruited, of whom 140 were healthy people, 122 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 101 with HIV_AIDS, 107 with major depressive disorder (depression), 90 with generalized anxiety order (GAD), and 40 healthy responders were also a caregiver (responders can have more than one health problem). EQ-HWB had a lower ceiling effect than EQ-5D-5L. The highest correlations between the EQ-HWB activities dimension and EQ-5D-5L were in the dimensions: mobility, self-care, and usual activities. The EQ-HWB physical sensation is most related to the EQ-5D-5L pain dimension. The remaining well-being EQ-WHB dimensions were most related to the EQ-5D-5L anxiety and depression dimension. EQ-5D-5L and EQ-HWB could identify differences in the diseases and caregiving burdens across healthy people, physical and mental disease patients, and healthy caregivers. Explorative factor analyses reveal 5 meaningful factors.

Conclusion EQ-HWB can differentiate well-being in more detail than EQ-5D-5L, and has the advantages that it can measure relevant outcomes across healthcare, social care, and public health.