Social inequalities in health expectancy of elderly : evidence from the HID Survey

Cristina Giudici, Università di Roma "La Sapienza"
Maria Felice Arezzo, Università di Roma "La Sapienza"

The debate on the ageing in Europe is currently paying considerable attention to the social and economic consequences of demographic trends. Central to the discussion surrounding the extension of the active lifespan is the state of health of the elderly. On one hand the health condition of the population is clearly crucial to all hypotheses linked to the extension of active life, on the other hand, European governments are specifically interested in forecasting the health care needs and services which will be required by the elderly. This study on one hand measure demographic and social inequalities in life expectancy without disability in France and on the other hand estimates the probability of being in good health conditions according to some indiviadual characterics, using the data of the French survey on handicaps, disabilities and dependency (HID).