The Sensitivity of the Healthy Life Years Indicator: Approaches for Dealing with Age-Specific Prevalence Data

The Healthy Life Years (HLY) indicator is the official European Union and a cornerstone of many health policies used in over 15 countries EU region to set national plans monitor targets. It also investigate trends time proportion total life years spent good or poor health, socioeconomic inequalities mortality male-female survival paradox. Based on Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI) included Statistics Income Living Conditions (EU-SILC), great amount effort has been directed at harmonising making HLY comparable across countries. Nonetheless, characteristics age-specific prevalence distribution are still rarely accounted for, regardless fact that patterns often fluctuate considerably by age. In addition, impact assumptions very young ages estimates seldom discussed, despite majority initiatives level use birth, while data only available after age 16. this paper, we assess whether smoothing distributions different methods, extrapolating older changing younger affect estimates. Overall, made before most important women men differently, thus affecting birth for some Estimates 65 slightly impacted. Generalised linear models (GAMs) seem promising ages, using polynomials aggregating into 5-year groups best ages. As sex developing monitoring policies, caution needed when estimating birth.
 * This article belongs special issue “Levels Trends Health Expectancy: Understanding its Measurement Estimation Sensitivity”.