Estimating Disability-Free Life Expectancy of Malaysian Population Using the Sullivan's Approach

Abstract

As we age, the chances of becoming disabled tend to increase due to an accumulation of health risks from a lifetime of illness, injury, and disability. This research examines the increasing life expectancy of the Malaysian population in relation to their disability status from 2015 to 2019. Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) was computed using the Sullivan's approach; subsequently, compression or expansion of disability over the two observation years, 2015 and 2019, were analysed. Malaysian disability prevalence rates by age groups for 2015 and 2019 were used to execute this research. In addition, the respective mortality rates by age were gathered from the Department of Statistics of Malaysia. Results showed that, as life expectancy increases, the number of years lived without a disability would rise significantly while the anticipated number of years with a disability will be concurrently declining, suggesting evidence of disability compression. It was also observed that the median age at which the number of years spent with a disability higher than without a disability was 55 in 2015, then delayed to 67.5 in 2019. This study informs medical practitioners and health policymakers about the average lifespan of Malaysians without disabilities, which can indicate the population's general health status.