Life expectancy without physical limitations

For the calculation of life expectancy without physical limitations data were used on long-term limitations in mobility, sight and hearing.

The following questions are used to determine this:
• Can you follow a conversation between two or more people in a group?
• Can you have a conversation with one other person?
• Is your sight good enough to read the small print in a newspaper?
• Can you recognise a face at a distance of 4 metres?
• Can you carry an object weighing 5 kilos (e.g. a bag of shopping) for 10 metres?
• Can you bend down from a standing position to pick up something from the ground?
• Can you walk for 400 metres without stopping?

Each question has four answer categories:
• without difficulty
• with a little difficulty
• with a lot of difficulty
• no I can’t/only with help.

Persons are classified as “without limitations” if they said they could do all these activities without difficulty or with a little difficulty.
The questions are included in the Health and Labour module of the POLS. The questions on limitations are only put to the respondents aged 12 years and older, a total of around 8 thousand people per year. Residents in homes and institutions are excluded form the survey.