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Changes in active life expectancy in Taiwan: Compression or expansion?

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  • Tu, Edward Jow-Ching
  • Chen, Kuanjeng

Abstract

The 1986-1989 supplements on Elderly Living Conditions to the Monthly Surveys of Human Resources in the Taiwan area are used to estimate active life expectancy and to examine evidence for a compression of disability. Unlike recent results generated in Western countries in favour of the expansion or morbidity hypothesis, our findings tend to support the hypothesis that declining mortality leads to a compression of disability. In Taiwan fatal diseases (e.g. heart disease, stroke, and cancer) play a more important role in disability than to nonfatal diseases (e.g. arthritis, dementia, sensory impairments, and osteoporosis, etc.). Fatal diseases are still the leading causes of disability; modern technology has not prolonged life significantly to Taiwanese who contract such diseases. Hence the improvement in recent life expectancy is very slow and the duration between age at onset of fatal diseases and death tends to be short. As a result of such short duration, the area between the disability and the mortality curve in the life table narrows.

Suggested Citation

  • Tu, Edward Jow-Ching & Chen, Kuanjeng, 1994. "Changes in active life expectancy in Taiwan: Compression or expansion?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 1657-1665, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:39:y:1994:i:12:p:1657-1665
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    Cited by:

    1. Chuang, Kun-Yang & Wu, Shwu-Chong & Dai, Yu-Tzu & Ma, Ai-Hsuan Sandra, 2007. "Post-hospital care of stroke patients in Taipei: Use of services and policy implications," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 28-36, June.
    2. Gu, Danan & Dupre, Matthew E. & Warner, David F. & Zeng, Yi, 2009. "Changing health status and health expectancies among older adults in China: Gender differences from 1992 to 2002," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2170-2179, June.
    3. Martinez-Sanchez, Eva & Gutierrez-Fisac, Juan L. & Gispert, Rosa & Regidor, Enrique, 2001. "Educational differences in health expectancy in Madrid and Barcelona," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(3), pages 227-231, March.
    4. Zeng Yi & Gu Danan & Kenneth Land, 2004. "A new method for correcting under-estimation of disabled life expectancy and an application to the chinese oldest-old," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(2), pages 335-361, May.

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    Keywords

    active life expectancy;

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