Trends over 4 decades in disability-free life expectancy in the United States

E.M. Crimmins, Y. Zhang and Y. Saito

American Journal of Public Health, 2016, vol. 106, issue 7, 1287-1293

Abstract: Objectives. To examine changes over 40 years (1970-2010) in life expectancy, life expectancy with disability, and disability-free life expectancy for American men and women of all ages. Methods. We used mortality rates from US Vital Statistics and data on disability prevalence in the community-dwelling population from the National Health Interview Survey; for the institutional population, we computed disability prevalence from the US Census. We used the Sullivan method to estimate disabled and disability-free life expectancy for 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2010. Results. Over the 40 years, there was a steady increase in both disability-free life expectancy and disabled life expectancy. At birth, increases in disabled life and nondisabled life were equal for men (4.5 years); for women, at birth the increase in life with disability (3.6 years) exceeded the increase in life free of disability (2.7 years). At age 65 years, the increase in disability-free life was greater than the increase in disabled life. Conclusions. Across the life cycle, there was no compression of morbidity, but at age 65 years some compression occurred.

Keywords: adolescent; adult; age distribution; aged; child; disabled person; female; health status; human; infant; life expectancy; male; middle aged; newborn; preschool child; prevalence; sex ratio; statistics and numerical data; trends; United States; very elderly; young adult, Adolescent; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Child; Child, Preschool; Disabled Persons; Female; Health Status; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Life Expectancy; Male; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Sex Distribution; United States; Young Adult (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2016.303120_5

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303120

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