Educational inequalities in health expectancy during the financial crisis in Denmark.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate educational differentials in health expectancy among 50-year-old Danes before and during the financial crisis.


METHODS
Nationwide register data on mortality were combined with data from SHARE surveys in 2006/2007 and 2010/2011 to estimate disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) and expected lifetime in self-rated good health by educational level.


RESULTS
The difference in life expectancy between 50-year-old men and women with high and low educational levels increased by 0.3 and 0.8 years, respectively. The overall educational differentials in DFLE did not change much for women, whereas for men the tendency was that DFLE increased for those with high educational level and decreased for those with less education ascending the difference by almost 2 years (from 5.9 to 7.8 years), although the difference was not statistically significant. The educational disparity in expected lifetime in self-rated good health increased by 1.3 years for men and 1.2 years for women.


CONCLUSIONS
The social inequality in DFLE for men and expected lifetime in self-rated good health for both genders increased slightly during the short period. The financial crisis did not seem to indicate a change in the persistent trend of the widening social gap.
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark. henrik.bronnum-hansen@sund.ku.dk.
Henrik
H
Brønnum-Hansen
Economic Council of the Labour Movement, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Mikkel
M
Baadsgaard
Department of Occupational Medicine, Regional Hospital West Jutland, Herning, Denmark.
Mette Lindholm
ML
Eriksen
Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Biodemography, Institute of Public Health, Danish Ageing Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Karen
K
Andersen-Ranberg
Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Biodemography, Institute of Public Health, Danish Ageing Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Bernard
B
Jeune
D003718:Denmark; D057172:Economic Recession; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011634:Public Health; D012042:Registries; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Disability-free life expectancy; Education; Health expectancy; Life expectancy; Self-rated health; Social inequality