Health & Place · Jun 8, 2022

(Un-) healthy ageing: Geographic inequalities in disability-free life expectancy in England and Wales

By Norman P, Exeter D, Shelton N et al.

Health expectancies are an indicator of healthy ageing that reflect quantity and quality of life. Using limiting long term illness and mortality prevalence, we calculate disability-free life expectancy for small areas in England and Wales between 1991 and 2011 for males and females aged 50-74, the life stage when people may be changing their occupation from main career to retirement or alternative work activities. We find that inequalities in disability-free life expectancy are deeply entrenched, including former coalfield and ex-industrial areas and that areas of persistent (dis-) advantage, worsening or improving deprivation have health change in line with deprivation change. A mixed health picture for rural and coastal areas requires further investigation as do the demographic processes which underpin these area level health differences.

doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2022.102820Open accessPubMed 35690019Populations