TY - JOUR

T1 - A Decomposition of Life Expectancy and Life Disparity

T2 - Comparison Between Hong Kong and Japan

AU - Zheng, Yan

AU - Chen, Mengni

AU - Yip, Paul Sf

PY - 2021/1/1

Y1 - 2021/1/1

N2 - BACKGROUND: Life expectancy and life disparity are 2 useful indicators to assess the health condition of a society. Both Hong Kong and Japan have one of the longest life expectancies in the world. Recently, Hong Kong has overtaken Japan and topped the life expectancy rankings. However, whether Hong Kong has also outperformed Japan in life disparity is still unknown. METHODS: Decomposition analyses have been conducted to evaluate age-specific contributions to the changes in life expectancy and life disparity for each of the populations. Furthermore, the differences between the 2 populations were examined over the period 1977-2016. RESULTS: Reduction in mortality of the adult and the old age groups contributes most to the increase in life expectancy for the study period. Hong Kong has a higher life disparity than Japan, and due to the great improvement in reducing premature deaths, the Hong Kong-Japan gap has been narrowing. However, in recent years, further reduction in mortality of the oldest elderly in Hong Kong has actually contributed to the increase in its disparity, thus widening its gap with Japan again. CONCLUSION: Increasing dominant influence of "saving lives at late ages" is very likely to cause the reemergence of increasing life disparity in these 2 long-lived populations.

AB - BACKGROUND: Life expectancy and life disparity are 2 useful indicators to assess the health condition of a society. Both Hong Kong and Japan have one of the longest life expectancies in the world. Recently, Hong Kong has overtaken Japan and topped the life expectancy rankings. However, whether Hong Kong has also outperformed Japan in life disparity is still unknown. METHODS: Decomposition analyses have been conducted to evaluate age-specific contributions to the changes in life expectancy and life disparity for each of the populations. Furthermore, the differences between the 2 populations were examined over the period 1977-2016. RESULTS: Reduction in mortality of the adult and the old age groups contributes most to the increase in life expectancy for the study period. Hong Kong has a higher life disparity than Japan, and due to the great improvement in reducing premature deaths, the Hong Kong-Japan gap has been narrowing. However, in recent years, further reduction in mortality of the oldest elderly in Hong Kong has actually contributed to the increase in its disparity, thus widening its gap with Japan again. CONCLUSION: Increasing dominant influence of "saving lives at late ages" is very likely to cause the reemergence of increasing life disparity in these 2 long-lived populations.

KW - Hong Kong

KW - Japan

KW - Life Disparity

KW - Life Expectancy

KW - Mortality

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Hong Kong

KW - Humans

KW - Japan/epidemiology

U2 - 10.15171/ijhpm.2019.142

DO - 10.15171/ijhpm.2019.142

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 32610743

VL - 10

SP - 5

EP - 13

JO - International Journal of Health Policy and Management

JF - International Journal of Health Policy and Management

SN - 2322-5939

IS - 1

ER -