Life-Expectancy in a Nonhomogeneous Population

Mortality differentials exist even among people of the same age and environmental risks. These differences are due to individual frailty (risks due to biological or behavioural reasons) not considered in the computation of conventional life-tables (where populations are assumed to be homogeneous). T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Journal of the Operational Research Society Vol. 49; no. 9; pp. 1011 - 1012
Main Authors Wajiga, G., Adekola, O. A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basingstoke Macmillan Press 01.09.1998
Palgrave
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Biological and medical sciences
General populations
Life expectancy
Life tables
Medical sciences
Mortality
Operations research
Population mean
Prevention and actions
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Studies
Technical Notes
Population
Risk
Brittleness
Life table
Mortality
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Summary:Mortality differentials exist even among people of the same age and environmental risks. These differences are due to individual frailty (risks due to biological or behavioural reasons) not considered in the computation of conventional life-tables (where populations are assumed to be homogeneous). This note seeks to show empirically that life-expectancies computed from homogeneous population models are overstated for ages less than the mean, and are understated for higher ages. It is also shown that life-expectancy curves for both homogeneous and nonhomogeneous populations intersect at the mean survival age (when the most frail would have all died off) and at the maximum age lived in the population (when the last members of the cohort would have died off).
ISSN:0160-5682
1476-9360
0160-5682
DOI:10.1038/sj.jors.2600553