Disability-free life expectancy: a cross-national comparison among Bulgarian, Italian, and Latin American older population.

Abstract: Objective: To present sociodemographic and health status harmonized variables constructed to evaluate cross-national differences in term of Disability Free Life Expectancy (DFLE) across different surveys. Method: The study comprises national surveys conducted in Bulgaria, Italy, and Latin America and the Caribbean. A homogeneous group of health determinants for the older population was created and the DFLE indicator based on Sullivan's method was developed considering the harmonized common variables on disability. Results: For all countries, DFLE values decline as age increases for both sexes, with a pronounced decline among women. Regardless the native country, women always present higher Life Expectancy than men at each age; however, they live a higher percentage of these years with disability. Discussion: Further research should be carried out with standardized instruments that allow a more direct comparison, along with measurements of the potential differences across countries, which could explain differences in disability prevalence and DFLE.