Persistent social inequality in life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy: Outlook for a differential pension age in Denmark?

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Brønnum-Hansen ◽  
Mette Lindholm Eriksen ◽  
Karen Andersen-Ranberg ◽  
Bernard Jeune
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Average Life Expectancy ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Disability Free Life Expectancy ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Pension Age ◽  
Old Men

Aims: The state old-age pension in Denmark increases to keep pace with the projected increase in average life expectancy (LE) without any regard to the social gap in LE and expected lifetime in good health. The purpose of this study was to compare changes in LE and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) between groups of Danes with high, medium and low levels of education. Methods: Nationwide register data on education and mortality were combined with data from the Surveys of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) surveys in 2006–2007, 2010–2011 and 2013–2014 and the DFLE by educational level was estimated by Sullivan’s method for each of these three time points. Results: Between 2006–2007 and 2013–2014, LE among 65-year-old men and women with a low educational level increased by 1.3 and 1.0 years, respectively, and by 1.4 and 1.3 years for highly educated men and women. The gap in LE between people with high and low levels of education remained more than 2 years. In 2006–2007, 65-year-old men with a high level of education could expect 3.2 more years without disability than men of the same age with a low level of education. In 2013–2014, the difference was 2.9 years. For women, the results were 3.7 and 3.4 years, respectively. Conclusions: With the persistent social inequality in LE of more than 2 years and the continuous gap between high and low educational groups in DFLE of about 3 years, a differential pension age is recommended.

scholarly journals Income inequality in disability-free life expectancy in Denmark

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Brønnum-Hansen ◽  
E Foverskov ◽  
I Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Socioeconomic Position ◽  
Life Tables ◽  
Register Data ◽  
Disposable Income ◽  
Inequality In Health ◽  
Disability Free Life Expectancy ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Background The state old-age pension in Denmark is adjusted in line with the projected increasing life expectancy without taking social inequality in health and life expectancy into account. The purpose of the study was to estimate income disparities in life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) at age 50. Methods By linking nationwide register data on income and mortality each individual at any age was divided into equivalised disposable income quartiles and life tables were constructed for each quartile. Data from the Danish Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was linked to register data providing access to information on respondents equivalised disposable income. Finally, data from the life tables were combined with prevalence on activity limitations by income quartiles from SHARE to estimate DFLE by Sullivan’s method. Differences in DFLE were investigated and decomposed into contributions from mortality and disability effects. Results A clear social gradient was seen for life expectancy as well as DFLE. Thus, life expectancy at age 50 differed between the highest and lowest income quartile by 8.0 years for men and 5.0 years for women. The difference in DFLE was 11.8 and 10.3 years for men and women, respectively. For men the mortality effect from the decomposition contributed by 4.1 years to the difference of 11.8 years in DFLE and 3.9 years to the difference in expected years with disability of 3.8 years while the disability effect contributed by 7.7 years. Conclusions The study quantifies social inequality in health in Denmark. Although income inequality in life expectancy and DFLE can partly be explained by loss of income due to chronic diseases, one would expect a welfare state to provide better financial security for citizens with health problems. Furthermore, the marked social disparity when approaching retirement age is questioning the fairness of implementing a pension scheme independently of socioeconomic position. Key messages Disability-free life expectancy differs between income quartiles by more than 10 years. Pension age follows the projected increasing life expectancy independently of socioeconomic position. This seems unfair.

scholarly journals Increasing the Public Pension Age: Employers’ Concerns and Policy Preferences

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik P van Dalen ◽  
Kène Henkens ◽  
Jaap Oude Mulders
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Pension Reform ◽  
Public Pension ◽  
Average Life ◽  
Average Life Expectancy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Policy Debates ◽  
Pension Age

Abstract Governments increasingly focus on extending working lives by raising public pension ages and in some cases by linking pension ages to changes in the life expectancy. This study offers novel insights into how employers perceive such reforms and their consequences for their organization. A survey among employers (N = 1,208) has been carried out in 2017 to examine their reactions to a recent pension reform in the Netherlands. Statistical analyses are performed to examine employers’ support for the current policy of linking the public pension age to changes in average life expectancy, as well as the support for 2 alternative policies that are often considered in public policy debates: a flexible public pension age; and a lower public pension age for workers in physically demanding jobs. Results show that particularly employers in construction and industry are extremely concerned about the physical capability of employees to keep on working until the public pension age. These concerns are the driving forces behind the lack of support for linking public pension ages to changes in average life expectancy (22% support) and the overwhelming support for a lower public pension age for physically demanding jobs (82%). The introduction of a flexible pension age (78% support) is not firmly related to employers’ concerns about capability or employability of older workers.

scholarly journals Changes in Disability-Free Life Expectancy in Canada between 1994 and 2007

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Margolis ◽  
Scott Mandich
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Moderate Increase ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Disability Free Life Expectancy ◽  
Sullivan Method ◽  
Expansion Of Morbidity

Life expectancy at birth continues to increase in Canada, reaching 81.2 years in 2009. Knowing whether these older years are healthy or disabled is critical for policymakers. We examine changes in disability-free life expectancy for men and women in Canada in 1994 and 2007 using the Sullivan method. We find that increases in life expectancy for men were due to a moderate increase in healthy years and a larger increase in disabled years. The increases in life expectancy for womenwere driven almost completely by increases in disabled years, suggesting an “expansion of morbidity” among women.

scholarly journals Trends in Education-specific Differences in Disability-Free Life Expectancy in Spain, 2008-2017

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Voigt ◽  
Sebastian Daza ◽  
Dariya Ordanovich ◽  
Alberto Palloni
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Social Disparities ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Disability Free Life Expectancy ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Education Differentials ◽  
Education Groups ◽  
Expansion Of Morbidity

Background: There is mounting evidence for a recent increase of social disparities in chronicdisease prevalence and mortality. However, little is known about how these trends are reflected incombined measures of morbidity, disability and mortality.Method: We use two nationally representative surveys of the Spanish population for the years2008 to 2017 and standard measures of expected duration of disability and illness to assess timetrends and social disparities in mortality, morbidity and expected years lived in disability (DFLE)and with chronic illness (chrDFLE). We provide empirical evidence of shifting trends for thesemeasures. We then decompose these changes into contributions associated with disability, chronicillness and mortality. Finally, we estimate the size of education differentials in DFLE and chrDFLEand evaluate the magnitude and direction of changes of these differentials over time.Results: While the disability based indicator suggests a decrease of expected years withoutdisability for both men and women (expansion of morbidity), the morbidity based indicator showsan increase in time spend free of chronic disease for women but a slight decrease for men. Thedecrease in time spent without disability was observed for all education groups but is particularlymarked for those with low education.Conclusion: We find evidence of an expansion of morbidity in Spain between 2008 and 2017.The bulk of this development is related to increases in time spent with functional limitations overthis period. These patterns occur in conjuncture with growing social disparities in time spend withchronic illness or disability.

Occupational inequality in health expectancy in Denmark

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Brønnum-Hansen ◽  
Else Foverskov ◽  
Ingelise Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
White Collar ◽  
Blue Collar ◽  
Health Expectancy ◽  
Pension Scheme ◽  
Activity Limitations ◽  
Occupational Groups ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Pension Age

Background: The pension age in Denmark is adjusted in line with projected increasing life expectancy without taking health differentials between occupational groups into account. The purpose was to study occupational disparities in partial life expectancy and health expectancy between the ages of 50 and 75. Methods: Register data on occupation and mortality were combined with data from the Danish part of Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe in 2010–2014 ( N=3179). Expected lifetime without and with activity limitations and without and with long-term illness was estimated by Sullivan’s method and comparisons made between four occupational groups. Results: We found clear differences between occupational groups. Expected lifetime without activity limitations between the ages of 50 and 75 was about 4.5 years longer for men and women in high skilled white-collar occupations than for men and women in low skilled blue-collar occupations. Men in high skilled blue-collar and low skilled white-collar occupations could expect 2.3 and 3.8 years shorter lifetimes without activity limitations, respectively, than men in high skilled white-collar occupations. For women in low skilled white-collar occupations, lifetime without activity limitations was 2.6 years shorter than for women in high skilled white-collar occupations. Due to few observations, no results were obtained for women in the high skilled blue-collar group. The social gradient was also significant when health was measured by years without long-term illness. Conclusions: The results support implementation of a flexible pension scheme to take into account the health differentials between occupational groups.

Do Men and Women Know What They Want? Sex Differences in Online Daters’ Educational Preferences

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 1370-1375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Whyte ◽  
Ho Fai Chan ◽  
Benno Torgler
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Potential Mate ◽  
Women’S Preferences

Using a unique cross-sectional data set of dating website members’ educational preferences for potential mates ( N = 41,936), we showed that women were more likely than men to stipulate educational preferences at all ages. When members indifferent to educational level were excluded, however, the specificity of men’s and women’s preferences did differ for different age groups. That is, whereas women expressed more refined educational preferences during their years of maximum fertility, their demand specificity decreased with age. Men’s specificity, in contrast, remained stable until the 40s, when it was greater than that of postreproductive women, and then was higher during their peak years of career-earnings potential. Further, when individuals’ level of education was controlled for, women (compared with men) were more likely to state a higher minimum preference for educational level in a potential mate.

Educational level and living arrangements are associated with dietary intake of red meat and fruit/vegetables: A Danish cross-sectional study

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 557-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulla Bach Laursen ◽  
Martin Berg Johansen ◽  
Albert Marni Joensen ◽  
Cathrine Juel Lau ◽  
Kim Overvad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Educational Level ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Red Meat ◽  
Fruit And Vegetables ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
High Level

Aims: To evaluate the association between education and living arrangements and the intake of fish, red meat and fruit and vegetables. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional and conducted in Denmark in 2013. Participants filled in questionnaires about their educational level and living arrangements (living alone or with others) and dietary intake including fish, red meat, fruit and vegetables. Regression analyses were performed to assess the associations within 85,456 randomly sampled healthy men and women who were at least 25 years old. Results: Length of education was statistically significant and positively associated with the intake of fruit and vegetables and negatively associated with the intake of red meat for both men and women. Men with a high level of education had a 187g/week (95% confidence interval: 199–175g/week) lower intake of red meat and a 109g/day (95% confidence interval: 102–117g/day) higher intake of fruit and vegetables than men with a low level of education. Women with a high level of education had a 175g/week (95% confidence interval: 186–164g/week) lower intake of red meat and a 106g/day (95% confidence interval: 97–114g/day) higher intake of fruit and vegetables than women with a low level of education. Living with others was statistically significant and positively associated with the intake of red meat, and fruit and vegetables. There were no clear associations between education, living arrangements and intake of fish. Conclusions: Men and women with a high educational level ate more fruit and vegetables but less red meat than men and women with a low educational level. Men and women living with others ate more red meat, fruit and vegetables than men and women living alone.

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