title: Gender differences in disability-free life expectancy for selected risk factors and chronic conditions in Canada.
abstract: This article shows how mortality and morbidity patterns differ for women and men 45 years of age and older. The impact on disability-free life expectancy was calculated for selected risk factors and chronic conditions: low income, low education, abnormal body mass index, lack of physical activity, smoking, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. For each factor, the expected number of years free of disability was calculated for men and women using multi-state life tables. In terms of disability-free life expectancy, the greatest impacts on affected women were for diabetes (14.1 years), arthritis (8.8 years), and physical inactivity (6.0 years), while for affected men, the greatest impacts were for diabetes (10.5 years), smoking (6.9 years), arthritis (6.5 years), and cancer (6.4 years). The implications of these results are discussed from the perspective of developing programs designed to improve population health status.
authors.affiliation: Demography Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0T6. alain.belanger@statcan.ca
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bélanger
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martel
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Berthelot
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilkins
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class