PREDICTORS OF HEALTH EXPECTANCY ACROSS MULTIPLE COHORTS FROM THE U.S. AND EUROPE.

AbstractHealth expectancy is a useful summary measure that captures both the “quantity” and “quality” of life. This concept takes into account both morbidity and mortality and is therefore useful in comparing the health of different populations and population sub-groups. The objective of this symposium is to discuss the predictors of health expectancy using data from large cohort studies from Europe and the US. The cohorts included are the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Finnish Public Sector Study, French GAZEL cohort, Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health and the US Health and Retirement Study. Partial health expectancy from ages 50 to 75 is estimated in each cohort by using multiple repeat measures of self-rated health and chronic diseases. Dr. Head will open the symposium by introducing the methodology used in estimating health expectancy, namely multistate life tables and micro-simulation. She will also present results related to social inequalities in health expectancy across cohorts. Dr. Zaninotto will show associations of health expectancy with lifetime socio-economic status. Dr. Stenholm will present the independent and combined effect of health behaviors on health expectancy. Finally, Dr. Platts will describe differences in health expectancy in relation to physical and psychosocial work exposures. Taken together, this symposium demonstrates the importance of socio-economic status, health behaviors and work exposures in midlife on health development in advancing age.