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Relationships between the Active Aging Index and Disability-Free Life Expectancy: A Case Study in the Rajshahi District of Bangladesh*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2013

Md. Ismail Tareque ,
Nazrul Hoque ,
Towfiqua Mahfuza Islam ,
Kazuo Kawahara  and
Makiko Sugawa
Md. Ismail Tareque*
Affiliation:
Dept. of Health Care Management and Planning, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Dept. of Population Science and Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh
Nazrul Hoque
Affiliation:
Dept. of Demography and Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, University of Texas
Towfiqua Mahfuza Islam
Affiliation:
Dept. of Health Care Management and Planning, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Kazuo Kawahara
Affiliation:
Dept. of Health Care Management and Planning, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
Makiko Sugawa
Affiliation:
Dept. of Health Care Management and Planning, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
*
†Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Md. Ismail Tareque, M.Sc. Department of Health Care Management and Planning Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science Tokyo Medical and Dental University 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8519, Japan (tareque_pshd@yahoo.com)
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Abstract

Life expectancy has increased considerably throughout the world. In Bangladesh, life expectancy has increased from about 53 years in 1975 to 69 years in 2010. However, it is unknown whether the increase in life expectancy is simultaneously accompanied by an increase in disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). The purpose of the study described in this article was to explore the relationship between life expectancy and DFLE in the Rajshahi District of Bangladesh by examining the relationships between the Active Aging Index (AAI) and DFLE. The study findings suggest that urban, more-educated, elderly males are more active in all aspects of life and have longer DFLE. Females are found to outlive males but are more likely to live a greater part of their remaining life with disability. Positive correlations between the AAI and DFLE suggest that older adults could enjoy more DFLE by involving themselves in active aging activities.

Résumé

L’espérance de vie a considérablement augmenté dans le monde entier. Au Bangladesh, l’espérance de vie a augmenté d’environ 53 ans en 1975 à 69 ans en 2010. Cependant, on ne sait pas si l’augmentation de l’espérance de vie s’accompagne d’une augmentation simultanée d’espérance de vie sans incapacité (EVSI). Le but de l’étude décrite dans cet article était d’examiner la relation entre l’espérance de vie et l’EVSI dans le quartier de Rajshahi au Bangladesh, en examinant les relations entre l’indice de vieillissement actif (IVA) et EVSI. Les résultats de l’étude indiquent que les hommes âgés, urbains et plus cultivés sont plus actifs dans tous les aspects de la vie et avoir plus EVSI. On trouve que les femmes survivent les hommes, mais sont plus susceptibles de vivre une grande partie de leur vie restante avec un handicap. Des correlations positives entre l’IVA et EVSI indiquent que les personnes âgées pourraient bénéficier plus d’EVSI en s’impliquant dans les activités d’un vieillissement actif.

Keywords

agingactive aging indexBangladeshdisability-free life expectancyvieillissmentvieillissementindice de vieillissement actifBangladeshespérance de vie sans incapacité
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 32 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 417 - 432
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2013 

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Footnotes

*

Data for this study came from the funded promotional project no. SSRC/74/2000/(PART-5)/137 of the Social Science Research Council in the planning division of the Ministry of Planning, Government of Bangladesh. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Population Association of America (PAA) 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., US. Thanks are due to the participants of PAA 2012, especially Yasuhiko Saito, Nihon University, Japan, for critical comments on the earlier version. We also thank the reviewers for their insightful and valuable comments that helped improve the manuscript. Finally, we are grateful to the interviewees and the field investigators without whom the study would have been impossible.

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