Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy: Concepts and Estimates

Abstract

This paper review the concepts and results of Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy. Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) is a comprehensive indicator because it introduces the concept of quality of life. It is interpreted as the number of years in full healththat an individual can expect to live given the current morbidity and mortality conditions. The Sullivan's method has been widely used to estimate the measure the simplicity of its inputs. The most comprehensive estimates correspond to WHO and several studies have been published since. Results show differences in healthy life expectancy by sex and country level of development.