Educational inequalities in health expectancy during the financial crisis in Denmark

Henrik Brønnum-Hansen, Mikkel Baadsgaard, Mette Lindholm Eriksen, Karen Andersen-Ranberg, Bernard Jeune

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

19 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: 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.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftInternational Journal of Public Health (Print Edition)
Vol/bind60
Sider (fra-til)927–935
Antal sider9
ISSN1661-8556
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 20 aug. 2015

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