International Institute for Population Sciences
Deemed to be University (An Autonomous Organization of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India)

Objective: Recently, chronic diseases have surfaced as a health condition that considerably impacts the labour force productivity in emerging economies. In this study, we sought to estimate the impact of chronic diseases on Indian older adults in terms of productivity-adjusted life years (PALYs) lost and its associated economic impact. Data and methods: Data from the longitudinal aging study in India (LASI) was used. Participants aged 45-70 years are included in the study sample. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. A productivity index multiplied by the years lived was used to calculate PALY, and descriptive statistics were used to summarize sociodemographic and economic variables. PALY is a newly developed metric akin to QALY, which adjusts years of life lived for productivity loss attributable to chronic disease rather than loss of quality of life. Results: The PALYs lost due to chronic diseases are higher for males than females across both inpatient and outpatient settings and increase with age, reaching a peak in the 55-59 age group for both genders. This indicates that the economic impact of chronic diseases on labour productivity is more significant in this age range. The PALYs lost are generally higher for inpatient care than outpatient care, suggesting that inpatient chronic disease management has a larger impact on labour productivity than outpatient care. Conclusion: These insights can be used to emphasize the need for targeted interventions in healthcare policies and workplace accommodations to mitigate the economic impact of chronic diseases on labour productivity, especially for the most affected age groups.