Social inequalities in disability-free life expectancy in the French male population, 1980-1991

Demography. 2001 Nov;38(4):513-24. doi: 10.1353/dem.2001.0033.

Abstract

We calculate aggregate indicators of population health for occupational groups to gauge changes in health disparities during the 1980-1991 period. The study is based on the experiences of French adult men in three major occupational classes: managers, manual workers, and an intermediary occupational group. Life table models show that managers have longer life expectancy and disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) than manual workers, and a shorter life expectancy with disability. The concurrent increases in life expectancy and DFLE during the period maintained the occupational disparities in health; the years lived with disability, however, declined for all groups, as for the entire French population.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Disabled Persons
  • France
  • Humans
  • Life Expectancy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupations*
  • Quality of Life
  • Social Class*