ABSTRACT
This chapter examines recent trends in health expectancies with a special focus on older women. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers agree that the demand for health care resources and expenditures for health care and other services for older people depend on both the number of older people and their health status. Jean-Marie Robine, Carol Jagger, and Emmanuelle Cambois use data from the European Community Household Panel to examine gender differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in European countries. Using census and survey data, Dr. Panapasa finds notable gender and socioeconomic differences in healthy life expectancy, and considers the implications of the findings for Fiji and other developing countries. Studies examining health expectancies among various groups of older women illustrate the heterogeneity of active life expectancy, and indicate, among other implications, the life cycle effects of poorer health for at-risk populations, defined by income, race, and ethnicity.
