Association between education and disability-free life expectancy among Japanese older people: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 study

•People with lower education have a shorter disability-free life expectancy (DFLE).•Among people having social participation, DFLE in people with lower education level was almost the same as that in those with higher education.•Promoting social participation may offset the disparity in DFLE by education level. Higher education level is associated with longer disability-free life expectancy (DFLE). However, evidence is scarce regarding factors that can contribute to eliminating inequality in DFLE according to education level. This study aimed to clarify the association between education and DFLE and estimate whether DFLE in people with lower education may increase to the same level as that in people with higher education through social participation. We analyzed data from 13,849 Japanese people aged 65 years and older who participated in a 13-year prospective study. At baseline, we collected information on education levels (low, middle, or high) and social participation. DFLE was defined as the average duration people expect to live without disability. To calculate DFLE for each education level group, the multistate life table method was employed using a Markov model. At the age of 65 years, DFLE (95 % confidence interval [CI]) in women with low education was 21.3 years (20.8–21.8) without social participation and 24.3 (23.8–24.9) with social participation. In the middle education group, DFLE was 22.1 (21.6–22.6) without social participation and 25.0 (24.6–25.5) with social participation. In the high education group, DFLE was 22.1 (21.5–22.8) without social participation and 25.5 (25.0–26.0) with social participation. Similar results were found for men. DFLE in people with low or middle education with social participation was almost the same as that in those with high education with social participation, suggesting the possibility that disparities in DFLE by education level could be offset by promoting social participation in older adults.