Compression or expansion of morbidity? A life-table approach

Abstract

Changes in incidence, progression and l'ecovery of morbidity and related disability have important consequences for mortality, and, vice versa, changes in modality have important consequences for morbidity. The inter· play of changes in mortality and morbidity determines whether population health is improving 01' deteriorating. A deterioration or an improvement in the health status of the population has far reaching consequences. A deterioration in population health affects the lives of indivieluals and has implications for society as a whole, for instance in terms of population (health) service needs and social security. The subject of this thesis is the association between mortality and morbidity and its implications for population health. We will examine which conditions are necessary for longer life to be associated with better health. To this end we will assess which changes in underlying patterns of mortality and morbidity will produce a reduction in years with disability ('absolute compression of morbidity') andior a reduction of the proportion of life with elisability ('relative compression of morbidity')