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Compression or expansion of morbidity? Trends in healthy-life expectancy in the elderly Austrian population between 1978 and 1998

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  • Doblhammer, Gabriele
  • Kytir, Josef

Abstract

The aim of our study is to test the theories of compression or expansion of morbidity on the basis of data on the elderly population of Austria. Our data come from four microcensus surveys for the years 1978, 1983, 1991, and 1998. We use self-perceived health ratings to calculate healthy-life expectancy for the elderly population aged 60-89. Because our data are based on four cross-sectional surveys, we devote the first part of the paper to the consequences of possible sampling and non-sampling errors in our analysis of time trends. We come to the conclusion that, although the absolute number of years lived in good health may be overestimated, the time trend in healthy-life expectancy over the 20 years most probably is unbiased. The second part of the paper describes trends in healthy-life expectancy for the Austrian population. Our results suggest that both healthy-life expectancy and the ratio of healthy years to life expectancy increased between 1978 and 1998. Thus, in Austria ill health seems to be more and more compressed into the later years of life. Contrary to Fries's hypothesis, however, life expectancy does not seem to be approaching a maximum average life span in Austria, as mortality rates at older ages have been continuously decreasing over the last 20 years.

Suggested Citation

  • Doblhammer, Gabriele & Kytir, Josef, 2001. "Compression or expansion of morbidity? Trends in healthy-life expectancy in the elderly Austrian population between 1978 and 1998," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(3), pages 385-391, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:52:y:2001:i:3:p:385-391
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    Cited by:

    1. Heger, Dörte & Kolodziej, Ingo W.K., 2016. "Changes in morbidity over time: Evidence from Europe," Ruhr Economic Papers 640, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    2. Johanna Muckenhuber & Karina Fernandez & Nathalie T Burkert & Franziska Großschädl & Wolfgang Freidl & Éva Rásky, 2014. "Trends in Inequalities in Health, Risk and Preventive Behaviour among the Advanced-Age Population in Austria: 1983-2007," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(5), pages 1-5, May.
    3. Monika Riedel & Maria M. Hofmarcher, 2003. "Austrian health expenditures exhibit an age profile," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 1(1), pages 197-213.
    4. Paolo Melindi-Ghidi & Willem Sas, 2015. "Invest as You Go: How Public Health Investment Keeps Pension Systems Healthy," AMSE Working Papers 1525, Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France.
    5. Rubén Castro, 2011. "About the role of chronic conditions onto the US educational differences on mortality," Working Papers 19, Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad Diego Portales.
    6. Vanessa Yong & Yasuhiko Saito, 2009. "Trends in healthy life expectancy in Japan: 1986 - 2004," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(19), pages 467-494.
    7. Fanny A. Kluge & Emilio Zagheni & Elke Loichinger & Tobias C. Vogt, 2014. "The advantages of demographic change after the wave: fewer and older, but healthier, greener, and more productive?," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2014-003, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    8. 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.
    9. Ruolz Ariste & Livio Di Matteo, 2017. "Value for money: an evaluation of health spending in Canada," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 289-310, September.
    10. Siegfried Geyer & Sveja Eberhard & Bernhard Magnus W Schmidt & Jelena Epping & Juliane Tetzlaff, 2018. "Morbidity compression in myocardial infarction 2006 to 2015 in terms of changing rates and age at occurrence: A longitudinal study using claims data from Germany," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, August.
    11. Clemens Tesch-Römer & Hans-Werner Wahl, 2017. "Toward a More Comprehensive Concept of Successful Aging: Disability and Care Needs," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 72(2), pages 310-318.
    12. Uta Ziegler & Gabriele Doblhammer, 2008. "Cohort Changes in the Incidence of Care Need in West Germany Between 1986 and 2005," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 24(4), pages 347-362, December.
    13. Elena Demuru & Viviana Egidi, 2016. "Adjusting prospective old-age thresholds by health status: empirical findings and implications. A case study of Italy," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 14(1), pages 131-154.
    14. Nicolas Sirven, 2012. "On the Socio-Economic Determinants of Frailty: Findings from Panel and Retrospective Data from SHARE," Working Papers DT52, IRDES institut for research and information in health economics, revised Dec 2012.
    15. Rothgang, Heinz & Comas-Herrera, Adelina & Wittenberg, Raphael & Pickard, Linda & Gori, Cristiano & Di Maio, Alessandra Pozzi & Costa-Font, Joan & Patxot, Concepció, 2004. "The mixed economy of long-term care in England, Germany, Italy, and Spain," Working papers of the ZeS 05/2004, University of Bremen, Centre for Social Policy Research (ZeS).
    16. Johannes Klotz, 2010. "Convergence or divergence of educational disparities in mortality and morbidity? The evolution of life expectancy and health expectancy by educational attainment in Austria in 1981-2006," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 8(1), pages 139-174.
    17. Alina Ștefania CHENIC (CREȚU) & Alin Ioan CREȚU & Laurențiu TEȘCAN, 2018. "A Long Term Analysis of Two Undeniable Realities of the XXI Century - Global Economic Crisis and Demographic Aging," REVISTA DE MANAGEMENT COMPARAT INTERNATIONAL/REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 19(2), pages 196-212, May.
    18. Ruben Castro, 2012. "Educational differences in chronic conditions and their role in the educational differences in overall mortality," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(12), pages 339-364.
    19. Valeria D’Amato & Emilia Di Lorenzo & Marilena Sibillo, 2018. "Dread Disease and Cause-Specific Mortality: Exploring New Forms of Insured Loans," Risks, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-21, February.

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