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Review
. 2016 Aug 1;35(8):1351-8.
doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1247.

Active Life Expectancy In The Older US Population, 1982-2011: Differences Between Blacks And Whites Persisted

Vicki A Freedman  1 , Brenda C Spillman  2
Affiliations
Review

Active Life Expectancy In The Older US Population, 1982-2011: Differences Between Blacks And Whites Persisted

Vicki A Freedman et al. Health Aff (Millwood). .

Abstract

Understanding long-range trends in longevity and disability is useful for projecting the likely impact of the baby-boom generation on long-term care utilization and spending. We examine changes in active life expectancy in the United States from 1982 to 2011 for white and black adults ages sixty-five and older. For whites, longevity increased, disability was postponed to older ages, the locus of care shifted from nursing facilities to community settings, and the proportion of life at older ages spent without disability increased. In contrast, for blacks, longevity increases were accompanied by smaller postponements in disability, and the percentage of remaining life spent active remained stable and well below that of whites. Older black women were especially disadvantaged in 2011 in terms of the proportion of years expected to be lived without disability. Public health measures directed at older black adults-particularly women-are needed to offset impending pressures on the long-term care delivery system as the result of population aging.

Keywords: Demography; Disparities; Elderly.

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Figures

Exhibit 1
Exhibit 1
Overall Probability of Surviving and Probability of Surviving without Disability, US Whites and Blacks, 1982 (broken lines) and 2011 (unbroken lines). SOURCE: Authors’ analysis of the 1982 National Long Term Care Survey and the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study. NOTE: Estimates conditional on surviving to age 65.
Exhibit 3
Exhibit 3
Expected Number of Remaining Years Lived with and without Disability and Percentage of Remaining Years Expected to be Lived without Disability, US Whites and Blacks, 1982 and 2011. SOURCE: Authors’ analysis of the 1982 National Long Term Care Survey and the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study.
Exhibit 4
Exhibit 4
Expected Number of Remaining Years Lived with Disability at age 65 and 85 by Severity, US Whites and Blacks, 1982 and 2011. SOURCE: Authors’ analysis of the 1982 National Long Term Care Survey and the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study. NOTE: * p<.10 **p<.05 ***p<.01 for test of difference from 1982 (same race); + p<.10 ++p<.05 +++ p<.01 for test of difference from white (same year).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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