Perceptions of "Healthy Life Expectancy" of Individuals With Diseases: An Online Survey in Japan

In Japan, discussions around healthy life expectancy (HLE) are often focused on prevention of diseases or disabilities. However, the advancements in medical technologies have led to an increase in the number of individuals living with these conditions. The aims of this study are (1) to compare the perceptions of HLE between individuals with and without a disease, and (2) to explore the factors associated with attaining HLE among those who have diseases.

An online questionnaire was administered to Japanese individuals which included patients with colorectal cancer (cancer group), individuals undergoing dialysis for kidney failure (dialysis group), and those without diseases (ND group). ANOVA multiple comparisons and the Tukey-Kramer post hoc test were conducted among the three groups to examine whether there are differences in the perception of HLE between individuals with and without diseases. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to achieving HLE among individuals with diseases.

A total of 626 participants responded, with 208 in the cancer group, 210 in the dialysis group, and 208 in the ND group. The dialysis group was more likely to perceive that their health problems affect their daily lives and less likely to attribute the attainment of HLE to individual effort or family effort compared to the cancer and ND groups. Among individuals with diseases (cancer and dialysis groups), being female, having cohabitants, and having a higher SWLS score were significantly associate with achieving a HLE.

Life satisfaction is significantly associated with the belief in achieving HLE despite physical or mental challenges among those living with a disease. Ameliorating life satisfaction through social participation and social support as well as psychological interventions can be one of the contributing factors for extending HLE.