Dataset Information

Cross-national disparities in sex differences in life expectancy with and without frailty.

ABSTRACT:

Background

with continued ageing, levels of frailty are an increasing concern. Women live longer than men, but how life expectancies (LE) with frailty differ between men and women and whether sex differences are the same for all European countries is unknown.

Objective

to compare sex differences in LE in phenotypic frailty categories and disability at age ?50 between European countries.

Design

the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

Subjects

a total of 50,351 people aged ?50 from SHARE wave 4 (included countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden).

Methods

the SHARE Frailty Instrument for Primary Care and the Global Activity Limitation Indicator were combined to define four phenotypic frailty and disability categories: robust, pre-frail, frail and severely limited. LEs with each state by sex and country were calculated using Sullivan's method.

Results

at age 70, the LE robust ranged from 4.1 to 10.4 years (men) and 3.0 to 8.9 years (women), LE pre-frail from 0.8-3.1 years (men) and 2.2-5.5 years (women), LE frail from 0.1-1.8 years (men) and 0.4-5.5 years (women) and LE with severe activity limitation from 1.9 to 4.4 years (men) and 2.9 to 7.5 years (women). At all ages and both sexes the fewest years were spent frail.

Conclusions

this study is the first to compare differences in LE in frailty categories across European countries. In most European countries, years spent robust (free of frailty or limitation) are significantly less for women than men, perhaps due to socio-economic as well as biological factors.

SUBMITTER: Romero-Ortuno R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3927770 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Cross-national disparities in sex differences in life expectancy with and without frailty.

Romero-Ortuno Roman R Fouweather Tony T Jagger Carol C

Age and ageing 20130804 2

<h4>Background</h4>with continued ageing, levels of frailty are an increasing concern. Women live longer than men, but how life expectancies (LE) with frailty differ between men and women and whether sex differences are the same for all European countries is unknown.<h4>Objective</h4>to compare sex differences in LE in phenotypic frailty categories and disability at age ≥50 between European countries.<h4>Design</h4>the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).<h4>Subjects</h4>a ...[more]

PMID: 23917483

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Dataset Information

Cross-national disparities in sex differences in life expectancy with and without frailty.

Background

Objective

Design

Subjects

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Cross-national disparities in sex differences in life expectancy with and without frailty.

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