Health expectancy
Definition
The number of years a person could expect to live in good health if current
mortality and morbidity rates persist. The particular measure of health expectancy
used here is the number of years a person could expect to live independently,
ie living without any functional limitation requiring the assistance of another
person or complex assistive device. Hence it is also described as independent
life expectancy.
Relevance
Health expectancy is a summary measure of
population health that captures both the "quantity" and "quality" of life dimensions
of physical and mental health. Independent life expectancy at birth is a positive
measure, capturing expectations of a life free from functional limitation that
requires assistance. Improvements in health expectancy reflect changes in social
and economic conditions, lifestyle changes, medical advances and better access
to health services.
Current levels and trends
In 2001, males had an independent life expectancy at birth of 64.8 years.
The figure for females was 68.5 years, a difference of 3.7 years. For the total
population, independent life expectancy at birth has improved for females since
1996 (67.5 years) but not for males (64.7 years). This has resulted in an increase
of almost one year in the overall sex gap in independent life expectancy at
birth.
Figure H1.1 Independent life expectancy at birth, by sex, 1996 and 2001
Source: Ministry of Health, revised data
Ethnic differences
Only partial (0–85 years) independent life expectancy
can be estimated for ethnic comparisons because of the small number of Māori aged over 85 years. These ethnic-specific statistics are not comparable with
those for the total population.
There are large differences between
Māori and non-Māori in their probability of living a long and healthy life. Revised estimates
for 2001 indicate a newborn Māori male had a partial (0–85 years) independent life expectancy of 58.0 years,
compared to 65.2 years for a non-Māori male, a gap of 7.2 years. The difference is greater for females: a Māori female born in 2001 could expect to have a partial independent life expectancy
9.2 years less than her non-Māori counterpart (59.0 years, compared to 68.2 years for non-Māori females).
Between 1996 and 2001, partial (0–85
years) independent life expectancy improved marginally for Māori males and non-Māori females, but there was no change for non-Māori males and Māori females.
The sex gap in independent life
expectancy at birth for Māori narrowed between 1996 and 2001.
Figure H1.2 Independent life expectancy at birth, Māori
and non-Māori, by sex, 1996 and 2001
Source: Ministry of Health, revised data
Note: These Māori, non-Māori
comparisons in independent life expectancy are based on estimates for the
0-85 year age group because of the small number of Māori
over 85 years of age
International comparison
In June 2000, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) introduced a new health expectancy measure, now called "healthy life
expectancy" (HLE). Unlike independent life expectancy, which uses a single
disability threshold, HLE uses a continuous scale that includes all levels
of disability. The necessary health-state valuations required to construct
this measure are not yet available for New Zealand . When these become available, the Ministry of Health intends to replace the
independent life expectancy indicator with HLE.
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