Unpacking occupational and sex divides to understand the moderate progress in life expectancy in recent years (France, 2010's).

Purpose: The growth in life expectancy (LE) slows down recently in several high-income countries. Among the underlying dynamics, uneven progress in LE across social groups has been pointed out. However, these dynamics has not been extensively studied, partly due to data limitations.

Mind the glass ceiling: The gender gap in how depressive symptoms after age 55 relate to earlier career mobility in CONSTANCES.

A substantial body of research has shown an association between career mobility and mental health in later life through health selection and causal processes, with favourable health outcomes associated with upward mobility. However, gender differences in these associations have been largely overlooked, despite evidence of gender inequalities in career opportunities. We use data on individuals aged 55-69 from the CONSTANCES cohort.

Differences between subjective and disability health expectancies across ages in older adults.

Health expectancies (HEs) have become a key indicator for monitoring healthy aging. So far, they have mainly been calculated based on functional rather than subjective health measures. Yet, by integrating several dimensions (medical, social, and cultural), subjective health is also an important measure of an older person's health status.

Women's Employment-Family Trajectories and Well-Being in Later Life: Evidence From France.

Previous research in various countries has found that employment-family trajectories characterized by early or single motherhood, or weak ties to employment, are associated with poor well-being among older women. Our paper explores whether this differs (1) in France, characterized by a high female employment rate and supportive family policies; (2) across dimensions of well-being. We used the Health and Occupational Itinerary survey to identify 10 common patterns of employment-family trajectories (derived from multi-channel sequence analysis) and analysed their association with six indicators of well-being in 2010 ( = 2882 50-78 years old women).

Identifying age- and sex-specific COVID-19 mortality trends over time in six countries.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic is characterized by successive waves that each developed differently over time and through space. We aim to provide an in-depth analysis of the evolution of COVID-19 mortality during 2020 and 2021 in a selection of countries.

Methods: We focus on five European countries and the United States.

Environmental barriers matter from the early stages of functional decline among older adults in France.

Background: The adaptation of living environments can preserve functional independence among older people. A few studies have suggested that this would only benefit the most impaired. But conceptual models theorize that environmental pressure gradually increases with functional decline.

The demography of COVID-19 deaths database, a gateway to well-documented international data.

National authorities publish COVID-19 death counts, which are extensively re-circulated and compared; but data are generally poorly sourced and documented. Academics and stakeholders need tools to assess data quality and to track data-related discrepancies for comparability over time or across countries. "The Demography of COVID-19 Deaths" database aims at bridging this gap.

Health after union dissolution(s): Cumulative and temporal dynamics.

The number of individuals experiencing one or multiple union dissolutions in their lifetime is increasing. The literature has shown significant interactions with health disorders, in response to the crisis situation that affects the spouses. However, processes are still unclear, in particular regarding the timing of the affection.

Contextual factors underpinning geographical inequalities in disability-free life expectancy in 100 French .

The objectives were to estimate disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) and life expectancy with disability (DLE) by gender for the 100 French (administrative geographical subdivisions) and to investigate associations with socioeconomic factors, supply of healthcare and services for older persons. DFLE and DLE at age 60 are estimated using the Sullivan method and based on the GALI indicator provided by the French cross-sectional survey 2014. In 2014, DFLE for men and women aged 60 was 14.

Gender Differences in Disability and Economic Hardship in Older Europeans.

European women live longer, but they experience more old age-related disability than men. Disability is related to social factors, among which is poverty, through various pathways. While women's poverty has been pointed up as a challenge for Europe, our study investigates to what extent and in which countries a greater exposure to economic hardship is associated with older women's disability disadvantage.

Women's excess unhealthy life years: disentangling the unhealthy life years gap.

Background: Compared to men, women live longer but have more years with disability. We assessed the contribution of gender differences in mortality and disability, total and by cause, to women's excess unhealthy life years (ULYs).

Methods: We used mortality data for France 2008 from Eurostat, causes of death from the CépiDc-INSERM-database; and disability and chronic conditions data from the French Disability Health Survey 2008-09.

Contribution of chronic diseases to educational disparity in disability in France: results from the cross-sectional "disability-health" survey.

Background: This study aimed 1) to assess whether the contribution of chronic conditions to disability varies according to the educational attainment, 2) to disentangle the contributions of the prevalence and of the disabling impact of chronic conditions to educational disparities.

Methods: Data of the 2008-09 Disability Health Survey were examined ( = 23,348). The disability indicator was the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI).

The use of the global activity limitation Indicator and healthy life years by member states and the European Commission.

Background: In 2005, the European Union (EU) started to use a disability-free life expectancy, known as Healthy Life Years (HLY), to monitor progress in the strategic European policies such as the 2000 Lisbon strategy. HLY are based on the underlying measure: the Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI). Twelve years after its implementation, this study aims to assess its current use in EU Member States and the European Commission.

Risk of Major Depressive Episodes After Separation: The Gender-Specific Contribution of the Income and Support Lost Through Union Dissolution.

Marital status and union dissolution are strongly associated with health. Separated men and women have a mental health disadvantage compared to partnered individuals. The lower financial and social resources of separated individuals partly explained their poorer health.

Gender career divide and women's disadvantage in depressive symptoms and physical limitations in France.

This study investigated the relationship between women's disadvantage in mental health and physical functioning and gender differences in career backgrounds. Sexual division of labor persists and key career characteristics are overrepresented in women: low-skilled first job, downward occupational trajectory, interruptions. These interrelated characteristics are usually linked to poor health.

Impact of Question Wording on the Measurement of Activity Limitation: Evidence From a Randomized Test in France.

Objective: The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI), a single question measuring disability, had been introduced in various European surveys since 2004. The complexity of its wording has been questioned. Our study compares alternative variants aiming to simplify the wording.

Economic Hardship and Educational Differentials in Disability in 26 European Countries.

Objective: The objective of this article is to study to what extent European variations in differentials in disability by education level are associated to variation in poverty.

Method: Using the European Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) for 26 countries, we measure the prevalence of activity limitation (AL) and the rate of economic hardship (EH) by level of education. We measure the increased AL prevalence (disadvantage) of the low-educated relative to the middle-educated and the reduced AL prevalence (advantage) of the high-educated groups, controlling or not for EH.

Educational differentials in disability vary across and within welfare regimes: a comparison of 26 European countries in 2009.

Background: Social differentials in disability prevalence exist in all European countries, but their scale varies markedly. To improve understanding of this variation, the article focuses on each end of the social gradient. It compares the extent of the higher disability prevalence in low social groups (referred to as disability disadvantage) and of the lower prevalence in high social groups (disability advantage); country-specific advantages/disadvantages are discussed regarding the possible influence of welfare regimes.

Comparison of socio-economic indicators explaining inequalities in Healthy Life Years at age 50 in Europe: 2005 and 2010.

Background: The first estimates of Healthy Life Years at age 50 (HLY50) across the EU25 countries in 2005 showed substantial variation in healthy ageing. We investigate whether factors contributing to HLY50 inequalities have changed between 2005 and 2010.

Methods: HLY50 for each country and year were calculated using Sullivan's method, applying the age-specific prevalence of activity limitation from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey to life tables.

Assessing the validity of the Global Activity Limitation Indicator in fourteen European countries.

Background: The Global Activity Limitation Indicator (GALI), the measure underlying the European indicator Healthy Life Years (HLY), is widely used to compare population health across countries. However, the comparability of the item has been questioned. This study aims to further validate the GALI in the adult European population.

The effect of smoking on the duration of life with and without disability, Belgium 1997-2011.

Background: Smoking is the single most important health threat yet there is no consistency as to whether non-smokers experience a compression of years lived with disability compared to (ex-)smokers. The objectives of the manuscript are (1) to assess the effect of smoking on the average years lived without disability (Disability Free Life Expectancy (DFLE)) and with disability (Disability Life Expectancy (DLE)) and (2) to estimate the extent to which these effects are due to better survival or reduced disability in never smokers.

Methods: Data on disability and mortality were provided by the Belgian Health Interview Survey 1997 and 2001 and a 10 years mortality follow-up of the survey participants.

Long-term consequences of female genital mutilation in a European context: self perceived health of FGM women compared to non-FGM women.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) concerns an estimated half a million women in Europe. The studies based in countries where migrant women have settled highlight the need for more accurate information on FGM health consequences, in a European health care context. Excision and Handicap (ExH) is a multi-centric survey based on case-control methodology and conducted in France to assess the long-term consequences of FGM, sampling both FGM and non-FGM adult women.

Mind the gap--reaching the European target of a 2-year increase in healthy life years in the next decade.

Background: The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing seeks an increase of two healthy life years (HLY) at birth in the EU27 for the next 10 years. We assess the feasibility of doing so between 2010 and 2020 and the differential impact among countries by applying different scenarios to current trends in HLY.

Methods: Data comprised HLY and life expectancy (LE) at birth 2004-09 from Eurostat.

The joint action on healthy life years (JA: EHLEIS).

Background: Life expectancy has been increasing during the last century within the European Union (EU). To measure progress in population health it is no longer sufficient to focus on the duration of life but quality of life should be considered. Healthy Life Years (HLY) allow estimating the quality of the remaining years that a person is expected to live, in terms of being free of long-standing activity limitation.

Influence of individual and combined healthy behaviours on successful aging.

Background: Increases in life expectancy make it important to remain healthy for as long as possible. Our objective was to examine the extent to which healthy behaviours in midlife, separately and in combination, predict successful aging.

Methods: We used a prospective cohort design involving 5100 men and women aged 42-63 years.