Laura Williamson
Nov 22, 2024
“Health span means living better, not just longer,” said Dr. Corey Rovzar, a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Prevention Research Center within the university’s School of Medicine in California. “We’re talking about those years that are free from any significant chronic disease or any significant disability that might affect one’s quality of life.”
Much attention has been paid in recent years to life expectancy in the U.S., which remains lower than in many other industrialized nations that spend less on health care.
But with data suggesting 79% of adults 60 and older have two or more chronic illnesses — such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure — and more than half of young adults reporting at least one chronic condition, health experts are turning their focus to not just how long people manage to stay alive but the number of years they can expect to do so free of disease.
That’s what’s called a health span. And, like U.S. life spans, these too have been shrinking.
“Health span means living better, not just longer,” said Dr. Corey Rovzar, a postdoctoral fellow at the Stanford Prevention Research Center within the university’s School of Medicine in California. “We’re talking about those years that are free from any significant chronic disease or any significant disability that might affect one’s quality of life.”