[Life expectancy free of disability: global indicator of health status].

BACKGROUND

Due to the limitations of mortality and morbidity as measures of the health status in developed countries, the elaboration of health indexes which include quality of life in addition to life duration has been proposed. The aim of the present article is to report the results of the calculation for Spain in 1986 of one of these indexes, the expectancy of life free from disability (ELFD).

METHODS

The life expectancy (LE) and the ELFD were calculated on the basis of data from health surveys by interview and mortality data from routine statistics. This method was proposed by Sullivan in 1971 on the basis of the procedure of life tables.

RESULTS

The results showed that the difference in LE between sexes was reduced when the years lived in disability were taken into account. Thus, while LE at birth was 79.6 years in females and 73.2 in males, the ELFD was 62.6 and 60.8, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The important reduction in the difference between sexes regarding LE when ELFD is accounted for shows that the gain in years of life in females is obtained at the expense of years lived in disability. ELFD appears as a useful index for the evaluation of needs and the planning of social health services.