Research and analysis

Understanding the drivers of healthy life expectancy

A report summarising several pieces of statistical analysis and findings from a rapid literature review aimed at exploring the drivers of healthy life expectancy.

Applies to England

Documents

Details

The report assesses the relative impact of mortality rates and self-reported health on healthy life expectancy (HLE) and details the key factors which are most influential in driving these 2 components.

HLE has been identified as a key outcome measure in assessing the extent to which health is improving and disparities are narrowing. There is a need to better understand what drives HLE to help inform policy.

The report includes:

  • the results of a scenario modelling analysis, used to assess the relative contributions of mortality rates and self-assessed good health prevalence on healthy life expectancy
  • the results of a decomposition analysis, used to assess the contribution of mortality rates and self-reported good health prevalence to changes in healthy life expectancy over time
  • the results of a logistic regression analysis used to assess the strength of associations between health, behavioural and socioeconomic factors and self-reported poor health taken from the 2016 Health Survey for England
  • the results of a rapid literature review used to assess the risk factors most strongly associated with self-reported poor health
  • estimates of risk factors contributing to years of life lost taken from the Global Burden of Disease
  • a summary of the public health implications of the findings
Published 1 June 2023