Living longer: For better or worse? Changes in life expectancy with and without mobility limitation among older persons in India between 1995-1996 and 2004

. Sreerupa¹, S. Irudaya Rajan¹, Shweta Ajay², Yasuhiko Saito^2,3, Rahul Malhotra^2,4*

Show Less

¹ Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram - 695011, Kerala, India

² Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore

³ Nihon University, Tokyo 101-8360, Japan

⁴ Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore

IJPS 2018, 4(2), 23–34; https://doi.org/10.18063/ijps.v4i2.761

© Invalid date by the Authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )

Download PDF

Cite

XML

Abstract

This study estimates changes in life expectancy with and without mobility limitation to test whether older persons in India experienced compression or expansion of morbidity from the period 1995–1996 to 2004. Age-specific death rates and the prevalence of mobility limitation were obtained from the Sample Registration System and two rounds (1995–1996/2004) of the National Sample Survey. Sullivan’s method was employed to compute life expectancy with and without mobility limitation by gender and by place of residence. From 1995–1996 to 2004, at ages 60, 70, and 80, older men and older rural persons in India experienced a significant increase in life expectancy without mobility limitation and a significant reduction in the proportion of remaining life with mobility limitation, suggesting a compression of morbidity. However, over this same period, older women and older urban persons seem to have experienced an expansion of morbidity with an increase in life expectancy with mobility limitation and an increase in the proportion of remaining life with mobility limitation. These results call for the promotion and maintenance of physical mobility among all older persons in India, with special attention to older women and older urban persons.

Keywords

health expectancy

India: life expectancy

mobility limitation

morbidity

References

[1]

Agarwal B. (1994). Gender and command over property: A critical gap in economic analysis and policy in South Asia. World Development, 22(10): 1455–1478. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(94)90031-0.

[2]

Alam M. (2000). Ageing in India: A country profile. Bold, 10(3): 5–22.

[3]

Anand K, Shah B, and Yadav K, et al. (2007). Are the urban poor vulnerable to non-communicable diseases? A survey of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in urban slums of Faridabad. The National Medical Journal of India, 20(3): 115–120.

[4]

Arokiasamy P and Yadav S. (2014). Changing age patterns of morbidity vis-à-vis mortality in India. J Biosoc Sci, 46(4): 462–479. https://doi: 10.1017/S002193201300062X.

[5]

Becket LA, Brock DB, and Lemke JH, et al. (1996). Analysis of change in self-reported physical function among older persons in four population studies. American Journal of Epidemiology, 143: 766–778. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a008814.

[6]

Bentinck J and Chikara S. (2001). Illegal Factories in Delhi: The Controversy, the Causes, and the Expected Future. International Workshop on Coping with Informality and Illegality in Human Settlements in Developing Cities. Leuven and Brussels, Belgium.Available from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpuprojects/drivers_urb_change/urb_economy/pdf_infor_econo/ESFN_AERUS_Bentinck_Illegal%20factor.pdf. [Last accessed on 2018 Jul 15].

[7]

Bhatia S. (2013). Public Health Expenditure and Health Status in India: An Inter State Analysis.Thesis, Guru Nanak Dev University.Case A and Paxson C. (2005). Sex differences in morbidity and mortality. Demography, 42(2): 189–214. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2005.0011.

[8]

Census of India. (2011). Five Year Age Group Data by Residence and Sex, Population Enumeration Data 2011 Census. Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. New Delhi.

[9]

Chakrabarti S and Sarkar A. (2011). Pattern and trend of population ageing in India. Indian Journal of Spatial Science, 2(2): 1–11. Available from: http://www.indiansss.org/pdf/pdfset-5/issueset-7/Art_012.pdf.

[10]

Crimmins EM and Beltrán-Sánchez H. (2011). Mortality and morbidity trends: Is there compression of morbidity? The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences, 66(1): 75–86. https://doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbq088.

[11]

Crimmins EM and Saito Y. (2000). Change in the prevalence of diseases among older Americans: 1984–1994. Demographic Research, 3(9): 1–20. Available from: https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol3/9.

[12]

Doblhammer G and Kytir J. (2001). Compression or expansion of morbidity? Trends in healthy-life expectancy in the elderlyAustrian population between 1978 and 1998. Social Science and Medicine, 52(3): 385–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-
9536(00)00141-6.

[13]

Freedman VA, Crimmins E, and Schoeni RF, et al. (2004). Resolving inconsistencies in trends in old-age disability: Report from atechnical working group. Demography, 41(3): 417–441. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.2004.0022.

[14]

Freedman VA, Spillman BC, and Andreski PM, et al. (2013). Trends in late-life activity limitations in the United States: An update from five national surveys. Demography, 50(2): 661–671. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-012-0167-z.

[15]

Fries JF, Bruce B, and Chakravarty E. (2011). Compression of morbidity 1980–2011: A focused review of paradigms and progress. Journal of Aging Research, 2011: 261702. https://doi: 10.4061/2011/261702.

[16]

Fries JF. (1980). Aging, natural death, and the compression of morbidity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 303(3): 130–135. https://doi: 10.1007/s13524-012-0167-z.

[17]

Graham P, Blakely T, and Davis P, et al. (2004). Compression, expansion, or dynamic equilibrium? The evolution of health expectancy in New Zealand. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 58(8): 659–666. https://doi: 10.1136/jech.2003.014910.

[18]

Gruenberg EM. (1977). The failures of success. The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly Health and Society, 55(1): 3–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/3349592.

[19]

Gu D, Dupre ME, and Warner DF, et al. (2009). Changing health status and health expectancies among older adults in China: Gender differences from 1992 to 2002. Social Science and Medicine, 68(12): 2170–2179. https://doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.03.031.

[20]

Jagger C, Oyen H, and Robine JM. (2014). Health expectancy calculation by the Sullivan Method: A Practical Guide. E. H. E. M. Unit. Europe: European Health Expectancy Monitoring Unit.

[21]

Kramer M. (1980). The rising pandemic of mental disorders and associated chronic diseases and disabilities. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 62(S285): 382-397. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1980.tb07714.x.

[22]

Laditka SB and Laditka JN. (2002). Recent perspectives on active life expectancy for older women. Journal of Women and Aging, 14(1-2), 163–184. https://doi.org/10.1300/J074v14n01_11.

[23]

Lampinen P and Heikkinen E. (2003). Reduced mobility and physical activity as predictors of depressive symptoms among communitydwelling older adults: An eight-year follow-up study. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 15(3): 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324501.

[24]

Lawrence RH and Jette AM. (1996). Disentangling the disablement process. The Journals of Gerontology Series B, Psychological Sciences, 51(4): S173–S182.

[25]

Maharana B and Ladusingh L. (2014). Gender disparity in health and food expenditure in india among elderly. International Journal of Population Research, 2014: 150105. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/150105.

[26]

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. (2005). Bulletin on Rural Health Statistics in India. New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

[27]

Myers G, Lamb V, and Agree E. (2003). Patterns of disability change associated with the epidemiologic transition. In: Robine JM, Jagger C, Mathers CD, Crimmins E, and Suzman R, editors. Determining Health Expectancies. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. p59–74.

[28]

National Sample Survey Organisation. (1998). Morbidity and Treatment of Ailments, NSS 52nd Round: July 1995-June 1996. New Delhi: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Government of India.

[29]

National Sample Survey Organisation. (2006). Morbidity, Health Care and Condition of the Aged, NSS 60th Round: January 2004-June 2004, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. New Delhi: Government of India.

[30]

Netuveli G, Wiggins RD, and Hildon Z, et al. (2006). Quality of life at older ages: Evidence from the English longitudinal study of aging (wave 1). Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60(4): 357–363. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2005.040071.

[31]

Office of the Registrar, General Sample Registration System 1995-2005. (2010). Sample Registration. New Delhi: Government of India.

[32]

Oksuzyan A, Brønnum-Hansen H and Jeune B. (2010). Gender gap in health expectancy. European Journal of Ageing, 7(4): 213–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-010-0170-4.

[33]

Pande RP and Yazbeck AS. (2003). What’s in a country average? Wealth, gender, and regional inequalities in immunization in India. Social Science and Medicine, 57(11): 20752088. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(03)00085-6.

[34]

Penninx BW, Ferrucci L, and Leveille SG, et al. (2000). Lower extremity performance in nondisabled older persons as a predictor of subsequent hospitalization. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences, 55(11): M691–M697. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/55.11.M691.

[35]

Prakash IJ. (1999). Ageing in India. Geneva: World Health Organization.

[36]

Rajan SI, Risseeuw C, and Perera M. (2008), Institutional Provisions and Care for the Aged: Perspectives from Asia and Europe. New Delhi: Anthem Press India.

[37]

Rolland Y, Lauwers-Cances V, and Cesari M, et al. (2006). Physical performance measures as predictors of mortality in a cohort of community-dwelling older French women. European Journal of Epidemiology, 21(2): 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-005-5458-x

[38]

Saga A. (2013). An assessment of gender discrimination in household expenditure on education in India. Oxford Development Studies, 41(2): 220–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600818.2013.786694.

[39]

Saito Y, Robine JM, and Crimmins EM, (2014). The methods and materials of health expectancy. Statistical Journal of the IAOS, 30: 209–223. https://doi: 10.3233/SJI-140840.

[40]

Sengupta M and Agree EM. (2003). Gender, health, marriage and mobility difficulty among older adults in India. Asia Pacific Population Journal, 18(4): 53–65.

[41]

Singh A. (2012). Gender based within-household inequality in childhood immunization in India: Changes over time and across regions. PLoS One, 7(4): e35045. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035045.

[42]

Sreerupa and Rajan SI. (2010). Gender and widowhood: Disparity in health status and health care utilization among the aged in India.Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 19(4): 287304. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2010.523650.

[43]

Stuck AE, Walthert JM, and Nikolaus T, et al. (1999). Risk factors for functional status decline in community-living elderly people: A systematic literature review. Social Science and Medicine, 48(4): 445–469. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(98)00370-0.

[44]

Sullivan DF. (1971). A single index of mortality and morbidity. HSMHA Health Reports, 86(4): 347. https://doi.org/10.2307/4594169.

[45]

Tiwari A. (2013). Gender inequality in terms of health and nutrition in India: Evidence from National Family Health Survey-3. Pacific Business Review International, 5: 24–34.

[46]

Tu EJ and Chen K. (1994). Changes in active life expectancy in Taiwan: Compression or expansion? Social Science and Medicine, 39(12): 1657–1665. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(94)90080-9.

[47]

United Nations Population Fund. (2012). Report on the Elderly in Select States of India. Building a Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India. New Delhi: United Nations Population Fund.

[48]

Van Oyen H, Nusselder W, and Jagger C, et al. (2013). Gender differences in healthy life years within the EU: An exploration of the “health survival” paradox. International Journal of Public Health, 58(1): 143–155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-012-0361-1.

[49]

von Bonsdorff M, Rantanen T, and Laukkanen P. (2006). Mobility limitations and cognitive deficits as predictors of institutionalization among community-dwelling older people. Gerontology, 52(6): 359–365. https://doi.org/10.1159/000094985.

[50]

World Health Organization. (2015). Integrating Equity, Gender, Human Rights and Social Determinants into the Work of WHORoadmap for Action (2014-2019). Geneva: World Health Organization.

[51]

World Health Organization. (2015). World Report on Ageing and Health. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Previous article in this issue

Next article in this issue

International Journal of Population Studies, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8606 Print ISSN: 2424-8150, Published by AccScience Publishing