Speranţa de viaţă sănătoasă – indicatorul integral de evaluare a sănătăţii populaţiei = Healthy life expectancy as an integrated indicator of population health assessment

Abstract

Earlier studies on long-term mortality trends by cause in Moldova showed the stagnati- on in life expectancy at birth over the last half century at the expense of a considerable decline in infant and child mortality on the one hand and a continuing mortality crisis among the adult population on the other. However, the health status of the population and number of years lived in good health, which represent an important decisive factor for policy makers, have not yet been studied for this country. In this article, the healthy life expectancy in terms of either good or poor health was estimated based on the Household Budget Survey data about the self-perceived health for 2013 and the abridged life tables, by applying the Sullivan method. Some results of the study show that at age 65-69 years, Moldovan males are expected to live on average 12 years, while only 8 years will be spent in „very good and good” and “fair” health status. Moldovan females of the same age group have an average life expectancy of 16 years, of which 9 years will be spent in “very good and good” and “fair” health status. The healthy life expectancy is higher for women than men, for the population from urban area than rural area, and the poor health state increases with age.