Happy life expectancy among older adults: differences by sex and functional limitations

Lima, Margareth G; Belon, Ana Paula; Barros, Marilisa BA

doi:10.1590/S1518-8787.2016050006727

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Sumário

Artigos Originais • Rev. Saúde Pública 50 (0) • 2016 • https://doi.org/10.1590/S1518-8787.2016050006727 copy

Happy life expectancy among older adults: differences by sex and functional limitations

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate if the happy life expectancy in older adults differs according to sex and functional limitations.

METHODS

Life expectancy was estimated by Chiang method, and happy life expectancy was estimated by Sullivan method, combining mortality data with the prevalence of happiness. The questions on happiness and limitations came from a health survey, which interviewed 1,514 non-institutionalized older adults living in the city of Campinas, SP, Southeastern Brazil. The happy life expectancy was estimated by sex, age, and functional limitations. Based on the variance and standard error of the happy life expectancy, we estimated 95% confidence intervals, which allowed us to compare the statistical differences of the number of happy years lived among men and women.

RESULTS

Differences by sex in happy life expectancy were significant at ages 60, 65, and 70. In absolute terms, women live more years happily. But, in relative terms, older men could expect to live proportionally more years with happiness. Happy life expectancy decreased significantly with increasing age in both men and women. Among older people living without functional limitation, differences by sex were statistically significant in all age groups, except at age 80. In the group with limitations, no significant differences by sex were found. Significant differences between the group without and with functional limitations were seen in both men and women.

CONCLUSIONS

Older men could expect to live a greater proportion of their lives happily in comparison to same-aged women, but women show more years with happiness than men. Functional limitations have a significant impact on happy life expectancy for both sexes.

Older adults; Happiness; Life Expectancy; Functional Disability; Quality of Life; Gender and Health

Age groups	Males				Females

	Happiness

	n	%^a	95%CI	p^b	n	%^a	95%CI	p^b	p^c
60	218	82.0	74.6–87.6	0.1618	256	75.7	68.4–81.7	0.1379	0.0606
65	132	83.9	75.8–89.7		214	77.9	70.5–83.8		0.2099
70	116	75.1	66.1–82.4		164	68.9	58.6–77.6		0.3882
75	81	72.0	63.8–78.9		136	72.5	62.5–80.7		0.9204
≥ 80	66	79.2	66.2–88.1		131	66.5	55.6–73.6		0.0793

Age	Life expectancy					Happy life expectancy

	Males		Females		Differences by sex	Males		Females		Differences by sex

	Years	95%CI	Years	95%CI		Years	95%CI	Years	95%CI

	(A)		(B)		(B-A)^a	(C)		(D)		(D-C)^a
60	19.2	18.2–20.2	23.7	22.8–24.6	4.5^b	15.2	14.5–15.8	17.1	16.3–17.8	1.9^b
65	15.6	14.6–16.5	19.6	18.8–20.5	4.0^b	12.2	11.5–12.8	13.9	13.2–14.6	1.7^b
70	12.4	11.5–13.2	15.7	15.0–16.5	3.4^b	9.4	8.7–10.0	10.8	10.1–11.5	1.4^b
75	9.4	8.7–10.2	12.3	11.7–12.9	2.9^b	7.2	6.5–7.8	8.4	7.7–9.2	1.2
80^c	7.3		9.3		2.0	5.8	5.0–6.5	6.2	5.4–6.9	0.4

Age	Without limitations					With limitations					Without - with limitations

	Males		Females		Diferences by sex	Males		Females		Diferences by sex	Males	Females

	Years (A)	95%CI	Years (B)	95%CI	(B-A)^a	Years (C)	95%CI	Years (D)	95%CI	(D-C)^a	(A-C)^a	(B-D)^a
60	16.5	15.8–17.2	19.0	17.9–20.0	2.5^b	13.2	12.0–14.4	15.7	13.8–17.5	2.5	3.3^b	3.3^b
65	13.5	12.8–14.2	15.8	14.7–16.8	2.3^b	10.4	9.3–11.6	12.8	11.1–14.5	2.4	3.1^b	3.0^b
70	10.5	9.7–11.2	12.5	11.5–13.6	2.0^b	8.2	7.2–9.2	10.1	8.6–11.6	1.9	2.3^b	2.4
75	8.1	7.3–8.8	10.2	9.1–11.3	2.1^b	6.4	5.4–7.4	7.7	6.3–9.2	1.3	1.7	2.5
≥ 80	6.8	6.1–7.4	7.9	6.7–9.0	1.1	4.9	3.8–6.0	5.6	4.2–7.0	0.7	1.8^b	2.3

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[1] Correspondence: Margareth G Lima Departamento de Saúde Coletiva Rua Tessália Vieira de Camargo, 126 Cidade Universitária Zeferino Vaz 13083-887 Campinas, SP, Brasil E-mail: margarethglima@gmail.com