Estimating mortality rates: the role of proportional life expectancy.
The computation of long-term survival is usually based on adjustments to the conventional life table. Assessing the validity of different types of adjustments can be difficult, partly because of the need to allow for two age-related trends-the decline in the average (normal) life expectancy, as well as in the new (abnormal) estimate. In this paper, we illustrate the value of routinely expressing each new estimate as a percentage of normal at each age. An additional finding has been that in some common disorders this proportional life expectancy (PLE) remains remarkably constant over many years.
Anderson
Terence W
TW
Department of Health Care and Epidemiology, Mather Building, 5804 Fairview Ave, V6T 1Z3, University of British Columbia. t.w.anderson@ubc.ca
Marion
Stephen A
SA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology