Tsuji I, Minami Y, Fukao A, Hisamichi S, Asano H, Sato M
Department of Public Health, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1995 May;50(3):M173-6. doi: 10.1093/gerona/50a.3.m173.
This study estimated the active life expectancy (ALE) among the elderly in a Japanese urban society to determine whether or not the Japanese live long lives at the expense of life quality.
Survival and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) were followed up on a probability sample (n = 3,459) of the aged people living in Sendai City, Japan, between 1988 and 1991. ALE was calculated by an increment-decrement life table method.
At age 65, ALE was 14.7 years for men and 17.7 years for women. The duration of active life occupied 91% of the total life expectancy for men and 87% for women. These values were further compared with those reported for the elderly in the United States. ALE among the Japanese subjects was longer than that among the American elderly. The percentage of remaining life that was active was comparable with that in the United States. However, the interpretation of the results requires caution because of the difficulty in comparing self-reported disabilities across cultures.
The authors conclude that it is premature at this time to judge which country is better in terms of functional status among the elderly. An international comparison of ALE would create an opportunity to evaluate and promote health and function of the elderly population worldwide. For this purpose, an international standardization of ALE measurement is urgently needed.
本研究估算了日本城市社会中老年人的健康预期寿命（ALE），以确定日本人是否是以牺牲生活质量为代价而长寿。
对1988年至1991年间居住在日本仙台市的老年人概率样本（n = 3459）进行生存情况及日常生活活动能力（ADL）的随访。通过增减寿命表法计算健康预期寿命。
65岁时，男性的健康预期寿命为14.7年，女性为17.7年。健康生活时长占男性总预期寿命的91%，占女性总预期寿命的87%。这些数值与美国老年人的相关报告数值进一步进行了比较。日本受试者的健康预期寿命长于美国老年人。健康生活在剩余寿命中所占百分比与美国相当。然而，由于跨文化比较自我报告的残疾情况存在困难，对结果的解读需要谨慎。
作者得出结论，目前判断哪个国家在老年人功能状态方面更优还为时过早。对健康预期寿命进行国际比较将为评估和促进全球老年人口的健康与功能创造机会。为此，迫切需要对健康预期寿命测量进行国际标准化。
