BACKGROUND

Chile has one of the highest life expectancies at 60 years in South America. This study was aimed to determine healthy life expectancies among Chilean older people, according to self-rated health and disability, and to explore gender differences.

METHODS

Data from the National Survey of Health (2009 and 2016) were used to estimate prevalence of less than good self-rated health and disability among people aged 60 years and above. Health expectancies were calculated with the Sullivan method.

RESULTS

In both years, women expected to live a lower proportion of their life expectancy in good self-rated health (54.5% [95% CI 50.0-58.8] for men and 37.6% [95% CI 34.3-40.8] for women in 2009; 46.1% [95% CI 42.6-49.7] for men and 38.5% [95% CI 35.6-41.4] for women in 2016). Life expectancy in less than good self-rated health increased for men (9.4 years [95% CI 8.4-10.3] in 2009; 11.5 years [95% CI 10.7-12.2]). Women expected to live a lower proportion of their remaining life without disabilities (65.3% [95% CI 61.2-69.4] for men and 44.9% [95% CI 41.9-47.9] for women in 2009; 71.9% [95% CI 68.7-75.0] for men and 61.1% [95% CI 58.5-63.8] for women in 2016). In 2016, disability-free life expectancy increased among women, but they still had a higher life expectancy with mild disability (2.8 years [95% CI 2.3-3.4] for men and 6.0 years [95% CI 5.4-6.7] for women).

CONCLUSIONS

Women expected to spend more years in less than good self-rated health and disabled. There was an expansion of life expectancy in less than good SRH among men and a compression of disability in both sexes. The high proportion of years expected to be lived in less than good self-rated health and gender differences in disability-free life expectancy of older adults should be addressed by public health policies in Chile.