© 1998 Oxford University Press
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The meaning and use of the cumulative rate of potential life lost
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University and National Defense Medical Center ROC
Reprint requests: Dr Wen-Chung Lee, Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, National Taiwan University No. 1, Jen-Al Rd. 1st Sec. Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
BACKGROUND: The ‘years of potential life lost’ (YPLL) is a public health measure in widespread use. However, the index does not apply to the comparisons between different populations or across different time periods. It also has the limit of being cross- sectional in nature, quantifying current burden but not future impact on society.
METHODS: A new years-lost index is proposed—the ‘cumulative rate of potential life lost’ (CRPLL). It is a simple combination of the ‘cumulative rate’ (CR) and the YPLL. Vital statistics in Taiwan are used for demonstration and comparison of the new mdcx with existing health-status measures.
RESULTS: The CRPLL serves the purpose of between-group comparison. It can also be considered a projection of future impact, under the assumption that the age-specific mortality rates in the current year prevail. For a rare cause of death, it can be interpreted as the expected years (days) of potential life lost during a subject's lifetime.
CONCLUSIONS: The CRPLL has several desirable properties, rendering it a promising alternative for quantifying health status.
Keywords Age standardization, cumulative rate, epidemiological methods, health-status indicator, life expectancy, vital statistics, years of potential life lost
Accepted 20 April 1998
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