Predictors of Health Expectancy Across Multiple Cohorts from the U.S. And Europe (original) (raw)

This paper focuses on elderly health profiles and examines the conjecture that elderly health status has been significantly impacted by the evolution of mortality in countries of the re- gion. We use SABE (Survey on Health and Well-Being of Elders), a cross-sectional representa- tive sample of over 10,000 elderly aged 60 and above in private homes fielded in seven major ci- ties in Latin America and the Caribbean. We examine the following health outcomes: self- reported health, functional limitations-Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL's), obesity (ratio of weight in kilograms to the square of height in centime- ters), and self reported chronic conditions (including diabetes). We examine patterns of self- reported health, self-reported chronic conditions, and disability. We also examine relations bet- ween early childhood conditions and adult health. In particular, we attempt to illustrate the idea that early childhood condi...

Background: Just like many other countries around the world, Chile is facing the challenges of demographic transition and population aging. Considering this context, the question of how prepared the health system is to deal with these challenges arises; Methods: A framework to assess the health system’s preparedness for aging was proposed, considering the health system’s goals and features and using an equity approach. Indicators related to the health system’s goals were calculated for the year 2015 using three nationally-representative sources: health status (suicide rate), financial protection (out-of-pocket and catastrophic expenditures), and responsiveness (satisfaction). Age ratios were used to compare the system’s response to different age groups; Results: Results for Chile revealed the existence of inequities, particularly when assessing the system in terms of its ability to improve health status and financial protection. These gaps increase with age, suggesting that the Chil...

Official figures show that life expectancy in Costa Rica is longer than in the United States (US), in spite of the fact that per capita health expenditure is only one-tenth that of the US. To check whether this is for real and to explore some of its determinants, 900 Costa Ricans aged 60+ were followed from 1984 to 2001. Follow-up household visits were made, deaths were tracked in the national death registry, and survival status in the voting registry was double-checked. In addition, the survivors were contacted in 2002. Two-thirds of the panel had died by December 2001. Kaplan–Meier curves, life tables and Cox regression were used to analyse the panel’s survival. Mortality in the panel was slightly higher than the Costa Rican average and similar to that in the US, confirming the exceptional longevity of Costa Ricans. Survival was substantially lower among unmarried men and individuals with limited autonomy at the beginning of the study. The effect of socioeconomic status is weak. I...