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Are gaps in disability free life expectancies diminishing in Italy?

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Abstract

This paper studies gender differences in disability free life expectancy (DFLE), taking into account mortality and disability contributions. After analysing the types of disability that account for such differences, it goes on to examine temporal variability and age contributions to mortality and disability variation. The method used is an extension of Arriaga’s model proposed by Nusselder. In 2005, disability free life expectancy at age 30 was 46.23 years for men and 48.74 years for women, with a gender difference of 2.51 years. Decomposing this difference we find that the mortality effect is 3.70 years, while the disability effect is negative and equal to −1.19 years. Ten years earlier, in 1994, DFLE at age 30 was 43.24 years for men and 46.55 years for women, with a difference between genders of 3.32 years. This broke down to a mortality effect of 4.33 years and a disability effect of −1.02 years. In conclusion, the gap in DFLE between men and women is narrowing, thanks to the more rapid drop in mortality rates in men. With respect to disabilities women are disadvantaged, although the difference (in both total disability and different types of disability) has been almost stable in recent years.

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Notes

  1. This, obviously, is also true for measurements obtained by the Sullivan-based decomposition model.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Wilma J. Nusselder for her contribution to the application of the model to the Italian data and Marie-Hélène Hayles for the English revision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Italian National Institute of Statistics, Viale Liegi 13, Rome, 00198, Italy

    Luisa Frova, Alessandra Burgio & Alessandra Battisti

Authors
  1. Luisa Frova
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  2. Alessandra Burgio
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  3. Alessandra Battisti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessandra Battisti.

Additional information

Communicated by Henrik Brønnum-Hansen, Bernard Jeune & Dorly J.H. Deeg.

All the authors contributed equally to this work.

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Frova, L., Burgio, A. & Battisti, A. Are gaps in disability free life expectancies diminishing in Italy?. Eur J Ageing 7, 239–247 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-010-0173-1

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