Related Experiment Videos
Active life expectancy in people with and without diabetes
Carol Jagger1, Elizabeth Goyder, Michael Clarke
1Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Leicester, 22-28 Princess Road West, Leicester LE1 6TP. cxj@le.ac.uk
Journal of Public Health Medicine
|April 3, 2003
Summary
Older adults with diabetes have a shorter life expectancy and fewer active years. Routine primary care data can effectively monitor health and identify inequalities in this population.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Monitoring health in older populations is crucial for public health.
- Diabetes is a significant comorbidity affecting health outcomes in older adults.
- Routinely collected primary care data offers a potential resource for health monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of monitoring older adults' health.
- To compare active life expectancy (ALE) in older adults with and without diabetes.
- To utilize routinely collected primary care data for health surveillance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from routine health assessments of individuals aged 75+.
- Defined 'active' based on performance of at least six of seven activities of daily living (ADLs).
- Calculated period health expectancies using primary care and Office for National Statistics data.
Main Results:
- 2,474 individuals (212 with diabetes, 2,262 without) were analyzed.
- Individuals with diabetes had lower life expectancy and fewer active years at all ages.
- By age 85, those with diabetes spent 32% of remaining life active, versus 42% for those without.
Conclusions:
- Annual health assessments combined with mortality data linkage are feasible for monitoring older adults' health.
- This approach is particularly valuable for identifying subgroups at higher risk of disability.
- Data can inform health needs assessment, inequality monitoring, and intervention evaluation at a strategic level.