Disability-free life expectancy in Costa Rica: gender differences

Mirela C.S. Camargos, Fundação João Pinheiro
Marcos Gonzaga, Centro de Desenvolvimento e Planejamento Regional (CEDEPLAR)
Gilbert Brenes-Camacho, Universidad de Costa Rica

The objective of this study was to measure and compare disability-free life expectancy in the Costa Rica elderly, by sex and age, for 2006/2008. In this case, estimating the number and proportion of years of life with disability, in addition to the years of life free of these conditions, as well as their proportions. The multistate life table was used to calculate the disability-free life expectancy. The probability of functional disability and deaths was estimated based on data from the Costa Rica Study on Longevity and Healthy Aging (CRELES). Four transitions are measured: (1) active to disabled; (2) disabled to active; (3) active to dead and (4) disabled to dead. The transitions probability was estimated using a multivariate logistic regression. The preliminaries estimates indicated that, in the Costa Rica, elderly women could, on average, expect to live more years with disability than men.