Income-related inequality in life-years and quality-adjusted life-years

J Health Econ. 2000 Nov;19(6):1007-26. doi: 10.1016/s0167-6296(00)00055-2.

Abstract

We estimate the income-related inequality in Sweden with respect to life-years and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). We use a large data set from Sweden with over 40,000 individuals followed up for 10-16 years, to estimate the survival and quality-adjusted survival in different income groups. For both life-years and QALYs, we discover inequalities in health favouring the higher income groups. For men (women) in the youngest age-group (20-29 years), the number of QALYs is 43.7 (45.7) in the lowest income decile and 47.2 (49.0) in the highest income decile.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Family Characteristics
  • Female
  • Health Status Indicators*
  • Humans
  • Income / classification*
  • Income / statistics & numerical data
  • Life Expectancy
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mortality
  • Quality-Adjusted Life Years*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Social Justice
  • Sweden / epidemiology