Determinants of life expectancy and clustering of provinces to improve life expectancy: an ecological study in Indonesia

Background Life expectancy acts as a population measure of the performance of healthcare systems. Regional disparities on life expectancy in Indonesia has been persisted and become a public health policy challenge. A systematic clustering of provinces can be a valuable alternative for organizing cooperation that aimed to increase life expectancy and reduce disparities. This study aimed to identify determinants of life expectancy and designate clusters of Indonesian provinces with similar characteristics. This approach can be useful in generating alternative cooperation strategies to improve life expectancy. Methods We carefully selected variables that have been shown to impact life expectancy and gathered 2015 data from Indonesia's Ministry of Health. All 34 Indonesian provinces were included as analysis units. We performed structural equation modeling (SEM) to select domains that needed to work on from theoretical models. Based on SEM results, we performed cluster analysis to arrange cooperation groups. Results Life expectancy showed correlations with mean years of schooling, expenditure per capita, health workforce, healthcare facilities, and environment. Expenditure per capita also was the strongest of all constructs. Based on SEM results, we performed cluster analysis to arrange cooperation groups of total 34 provinces and generated five clusters of provinces. Conclusions Enhancing the economy is the most effective approach for improving life expectancy and other constructs. These clusters can build cooperation that is new, within, and across clusters. These results may be useful in formulating cooperation strategies aimed at increasing life expectancy.