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 live
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 level 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 show 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 years 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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