Rainwater, Elizabeth Working paper no. 2005-05 Abstract There is a persistent relationship between early socioeconomic status and morbidity and mortality that is well documented in the literature. In this thesis, I explore two of the theories proposed in the literature to account for this relationship—Iaccess to resources and effects of general intelligence. I ask three …
Reither, Erin, Robert Hauser, and Karen Swallen Working paper no. 2006-11 Abstract Some of the richest longitudinal studies in the social sciences did not, at their outset, gather biomarkers that are routinely recorded today—including the height and weight of participants. The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) is a large cohort study of over 10,000 individuals that …
Monteverde, Malena, Beatriz Novak, Kenya Noronha, and Alberto Palloni Working paper no. 2007-12 Abstract High and increasing levels of obesity in the US and Mexico could compromise future gains in life expectancy for these populations. Excess mortality due to obesity has been investigated in the US but not in Latin America where high prevalence and …
Moorman, Sara, and Deborah Carr Working paper no. 2007-19 Abstract Purpose: We document the extent to which older adults accurately report their spouses’ end-of-life treatment preferences, in the hypothetical scenarios of terminal illness with severe physical pain, and terminal illness with severe cognitive impairment. We investigate the extent to which accurate reports, inaccurate reports (i.e., …
Curtis, Katherine, Collin F. Payne, and Jennifer Huck Working paper no. 2008-08
Yu, Yan Working paper no. 2008-17 Abstract The expanding waistlines of the American population have stirred immense research and public interest in how secular changes in body weight affect population health. Big controversies and gaps remain in our understanding about the weight-mortality relationship. This study uses recalled weight at age 25 to classify weight status, …
Yu, Yan Working paper no. 2008-18 Abstract The majority of US adults are overweight or obese. Contemporary cohorts have been gaining weight continuously well up to the oldest ages. The negative health consequences of excess body weight have been well-documented. An intriguing question is whether these consequences decline over the life course, and excess body …
Palloni, Alberto, Kenya Noronha, and Mary McEniry Working paper no. 2009-02 Abstract Future life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean could be compromised. Older people attaining age 60 after the years 1990-2000 are scarred by experiences that could translate into higher susceptibility to chronic conditions and higher mortality. Once dismissed as unthinkable, increases in …
McEniry, Mary Working paper no. 2009-03 Abstract Infant mortality at birth may help illuminate the usefulness of season of birth as an indicator of early life exposures. We obtained data for infant mortality rates (IMR) at the county (municipio) level during the late 1920s-early 1940s in Puerto Rico using historical records and linked IMR with …
McEniry, Mary Working paper no. 2009-04 Abstract The dramatic mortality decline of the 1930s-1960s may shed light on the importance of early life conditions for older adult health in the developing world. We collected historical data on life expectancy, infant mortality, GDP per capita, age-specific mortality rates and population growth rates for 19 countries which …