Table 5.

Overview table of the absolute and relative evolution in population health in Belgium between 1997 and 2004 based on the complete health expectancy indicators in the domain of the self-perceived health, chronic morbidity, co-morbidity^a and disability at age 65 years and at age 80 following the classification by Nusselder(Nusselder 1998)

Gender	At age	Domain	Absolute Evolution	Relative Evolution	Shift between severity levels
Males	65	Self-perceived health	Equilibrium Compression-Expansion	Compression
		Chronic morbidity	Compression	Compression
		Co-morbidity	Compression	Compression	Shift to severe level
		Disability	Compression	Compression	Shift to severe level
	80	Self-perceived health	Expansion	Compression
		Chronic morbidity	Expansion	Compression
		Co-morbidity	Compression	Compression	Shift to severe level
		Disability	Equilibrium Compression-Expansion	Compression	Shift to moderate level
Females	65	Self-perceived health	Equilibrium Compression-Expansion	Compression
		Chronic morbidity	Compression	Compression
		Co-morbidity	Expansion	Expansion	Shift to moderate level
		Disability	Compression	Compression	Shift to moderate level
	80	Self-perceived health	Expansion	Compression
		Chronic morbidity	Expansion	Expansion
		Co-morbidity	Expansion	Expansion	Shift to moderate level
		Disability	Expansion	Expansion	Shift to moderate level

^aCo-morbidity: based on disease cluster: heart disease (myocardial infarction and severe heart problem), respiratory disease (asthma, chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, other longstanding lung disease), musculoskeletal disease (longstanding (longer than 3 months) back pain, disc problem, osteoarthritis knees, hips, hands, rheumatoid arthritis of hands or feet, other form of chronic inflammation of joints), cancer, neurological disease (epilepsy, dizziness with falling, stroke) and diabetes