This study aims to determine the disability prevalence and changes in active life expectancy of the Thai older people between 1997 and 2004. Data on disability of older people aged ≥60 years were obtained from the National Health Examination Surveys. Disability refers to one or more restrictions on the activities of daily living. The Sullivan method was used to calculate active life expectancy. A total of 4048 older people in 1997 and 19 372 older people in 2004 were included in the analysis. Active life expectancy at age 60 of men was 16.5 years in 1997 and 17.6 years in 2004, whereas that of women was 17.9 and 19.9 years, respectively. Women spent a greater proportion of the remaining life with disability. The proportion of active life for both genders also increased during the 7-year period suggesting an evidence of the compression of morbidity in Thai older people.
Health Research System Institute, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University. Population Projection for Thailand, 2000-2025. Bangkok, Thailand: Amarin; 2003:7-13.
2.
National Statistical Office. Report on the 1995-1996 Survey of Population Change. Bangkok, Thailand: Statistical Data Bank and Information Dissemination Division; 1997.
3.
National Statistical Office. Report on the 2005-2006 Survey of Population Change. Bangkok, Thailand: Statistical Forecasting Bureau; 2007.
4.
KatzSBranchLGBransonMHPapsideroJABeckJCGreerDS. Active life expectancy. N Engl J Med. 1983;309:1218-1224.
5.
JaggerCCoxBLe RoyS, EHEMU Team. Health Expectancy Calculation by the Sullivan Method: A Practical Guide. 3rd ed.EHEMU Technical Report. Montpellier, France: ENEMU; 2007.
6.
NusselderWJ. Compression of morbidity In: RobineJMJaggerCMathersCDCrimminsM, eds. Determining Health Expectancies. Chichester, UK: Wiley; 2003:35-58.
7.
FriesJF. Reducing disability in older age. JAMA. 2002;288:3164-3166.
8.
MathersCDSadanaRSalomonJAMurrayCJLLopezAD. Healthy life expectancy in 191 countries, 1999. World Health Report 2000. Lancet. 2001;357:1685-1691.
9.
KramerM. The rising pandemic of mental disorders and associated chronic diseases and disabilities. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1980;62(suppl 285):382-397.
10.
OlshanskySJRudbergMACarnesBACasselCKBrodyJA. Trading off longer life for worsening health: the expansion of morbidity hypothesis. J Aging Health. 1991;3:194-216.
11.
CrimminsEMHaywardMDSaitoY. Changing mortality and morbidity rates and health status and life expectancy of the older population. Demography. 1994;31:159-175.
12.
ZimmerZMartinLGChangMC. Changes in Functional Limitations and Survival Among the Elderly in Taiwan: 1993, 1996, and 1999. New York, NY: The Population Council; 2002.
13.
MantonKG. Changing concepts of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population. Milbank Mem Fund Q Health Soc. 1982;60:183-244.
14.
RobineJMMormichePSermentC. Examination of the causes and mechanism of the increase in disability-free life expectancy. J Aging Health. 1998;10:171-191.
15.
PerenboomRJMVan HertenLMBoshuizenHCVan Den BosGAM. Trends in disability-free life expectancy. Disabil Rehabil. 2004;26:377-386.
16.
AekplakornWChaiyapongYNealB. Prevalence and determinants of overweight and obesity in Thai adults: results of the Second National Health Examination Survey. J Med Assoc Thai. 2004;87:685-693.
17.
AekplakornWAbbott-KlafterJKhonputsaP. Prevalence and management of prehypertension and hypertension by geographic regions of Thailand: the Third National Health Examination Survey, 2004. J Hypertens. 2008;26:191-198.
18.
SullivanDF. A single index of mortality and morbidity. HSMHA Health Rep. 1971;86:347-354.
19.
KaiIOhiGKobayashiYIshizakiTHisataMKiuchiM. Quality of life: a possible health index for the elderly. Asia Pac J Public Health. 1991;5:221-227.
20.
SchoeniRFLiangJBennettJSugisawaHFukayaTKobayashiE. Trends in old-age functioning and disability in Japan, 1993-2002. Popul Stud. 2006;60:39-53.
21.
FreedmanVASchoeniRFMartinLGCormanJ. Chronic conditions and the decline in late-life disability. Trend Working Paper 06-5; 2006.
22.
Reyes-BeamanSJaggerCGarcia-PeñaCMuñozOBeamanPEStaffordB. Active life expectancy of older people in Mexico. Disabil Rehabil. 2005;27:213-219.
23.
ZimmerZ. Disability and active life expectancy among older Cambodians. Asian Popul Stud. 2006;2:133-148.
24.
RobineJMRitchieK. Healthy life expectancy: evolution of global indicator of change in population health. BMJ. 1991;302:457-460.
25.
PorapakkhamYPattaraarchachaiJAekplakornW. Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and diabetes mellitus among the elderly: the 2004 National Health Examination Survey III, Thailand. Singapore Med J. 2008;49:868-873.
26.
LimingCJamesL. Was there compression of disability for older Americans from 1992 to 2003?Demography. 2007;44:479-495.
27.
JeuneBBronnum-HansenH. Trends in health expectancy at age 65 for various health indicators, 1987-2005, Denmark. Eur J Ageing. 2008;5:279-285.
28.
GuralinikJMLandKCBlazerDFillenbaumGGBranchLG. Educational status and active life expectancy among older blacks and whites. N Engl J Med. 1993;329:110-116.
29.
KanedaTZimmerZTangZ. Socioeconomic status differentials in life and active life expectancy among older adults in Beijing. Disabil Rehabil. 2005;27:241-251.
30.
ChattopadhyayASinhaKC. Spatial and gender scenario of literate life expectancy at birth in India. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2010;22:477-491.
