title: The Life Expectancy of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Germany.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study presents age group-specific mortality rates and the average life expectancy of people with intellectual disabilities in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  For two samples from Westphalia-Lippe and Baden-Wuerttemberg, person-related data for the years 2007-2009 were analysed. Age group-specific mortality rates were estimated by exponential regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average life expectancy of men with intellectual disabilities was 70.9 years in Westphalia-Lippe and 65.3 years in the Baden-Wuerttemberg sample. Women with intellectual disabilities reached a life expectancy of 72.8 years in the Westphalian sample and 69.9 years in Baden-Wuerttemberg. The mortality tables, the crude mortality rates and the standardized mortality rates according to the WHO standard population are reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comparing the results with other international studies, the trend of increasing life expectancies of people with intellectual disabilities is confirmed. People with intellectual disabilities still have a lower average life expectancy than the general population, partly due to subgroups with low life expectancies.
authors.affiliation: Center for Participation Research, Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine - Westphalia Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedrich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dieckmann
authors.affiliation: Center for Participation Research, Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine - Westphalia Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giovis
authors.affiliation: Center for Participation Research, Catholic University of Applied Sciences North Rhine - Westphalia Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Offergeld
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000401:mortality*; D008017:Life Expectancy / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Germany; age structure; demographic change; intellectual disabilities; life expectancy; mortality