Trends in Disability-Free Life Expectancy in France: Consistent and Diverging Patterns According to the Underlying Disability Indicator

Emmanuelle Cambois, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Aurore Clavel, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
Isabelle Romieu, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)
Jean-Marie Robine, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)

In this study we propose several estimates of disability-free life expectancy (DFLE), based on various indicators of disability. The aim is to point out specific patterns related to the underlying concept and indicator used: common functional problems, activity restrictions, dependency on someone. We estimated 10 different DFLE based on 4 different household based surveys, three of them providing chronological series. The study confirms the usual patterns of age trajectory, gender gap, whatever the underlying concept, while these patterns are not evenly stressed. It shows the closeness of DFLE estimates based on similar disability indicators, even coming from different databases. Time trends differ according to the estimates; the more severe the disability indicator, the steeper the increase in DFLE. Despite data constraints and limitations, this study highlights the policy relevance of producing a whole set of DFLE indicators to better appraise disability patterns and trends in each country.