Life-course influences on health and mortality

How socio-demographic characteristics could explain extreme longevity? In this contribution we consider beside age and sex the matrimonial history and the living arrangement trajectory. Data used are extracted from the continuous registration system in Belgium. Compared to longitudinal surveys, administrative data are also suitable for longitudinal studies. They give less information but include the date of death with the situation of the person at death. The method used is survival analysis. 3000 Belgian centenarians are concerned including 659 men. Most centenarians were widowed at death, few were still married while 274 women and 32 men were never married. Among female centenarians, 55% were younger compared to their husband while for male centenarians, 81% were older. Early widowhood favours longevity for women but not for men. For living arrangement, more than half of the centenarians were institutionalized at death but the timing of their entry in nursing home is later compared to the total population. Living in married couple is protective but being single and living alone is also profitable for women only. Concerning the impact of the living arrangement trajectory on survival to extreme ages, living in institution increases mortality risk but this effect decreases at older ages.

The paper will analyze and compare trends in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in selected European countries from 1995 to 2010. The length of human life can be expressed by the indicator of life expectancy of an x-year old person. Life expectancy is understood as the average age of the deaths in a stationary population. But the healthy life expectancy can be considered as an indicator that tells us how many of these years are spent by the people in good health.
In this paper data about life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth and of a 65-year-old person for selected European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary, Estonia) will be compared. Data will be examined separately for men and women in the period 1995-2011.
Calculated absolute and relative changes in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy between years as well as differences between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy will be supplemented by figures and the graphical visualization of the data.

Poverty is usually associated with food scarcity and under nutrition, but recent statistics tell us that in developed countries there seems to be a correlation between poverty and obesity, the so called Poverty-Obesity paradox. This paper investigates this relation for elderly in Europe using the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement. We account for endogeneity with a bivariate probit model, where identification is achieved using regional poverty as instrument for poverty status.

The social consequances of psychic troubles are unfamiliar and some few studies have been made in France. Nevertheless, it is proofed that these troubles may have an important impact, as in personal life (in a decreasing quality of life) as on the economy of a country. The main aim of our study was to assess the global outcome ( physical, psychological and social) of a cohort of anorexia nervosa inpatients since 1996 to 2002. The secondary aim was focused on the study of interrelationships between this outcome and the care utilization fitted into some life biographies.
On the one hand, the biographic approach has highlighted three factors mostly influencing on the underused care utilization while the psychic and/ or somatic statement are required : the age of the patient at the first hospitalisation, the distance between the home and the hospital and the difficult relationships with the father.
On the second hand, we have focused our attention on the relations between the feeling of psychological chronical disease and the quality of life impairment -especially on mental health. The damage on the mental health (quality of life) is increasing the feeling of chronicity and is reducing the sense of recovery. Indeed,

Social class and economic well-being have been identified as important social determinants that shape health inequalities. In particular, socioeconomic inequalities in mortality not only explain prevailing exposure of disadvantaged individual and ecological circumstances but also cumulative exposure to adverse circumstances. This paper examines contribution of contextual and socioeconomic factors on mortality differential across the stages of life course using third round of large scale District Level Household Survey (2007-08). Multiple logistic regressions have been applied to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic variables (Gender, Caste, Wealth Index etc) on age-pattern of mortality. Age has been grouped into six categories to capture the different stages of life course:infant ( <1 year), young children (aged 2–5 years), children to adolescent (aged 6–18 years), young adult (aged 19–44 years), Middle-aged (aged 45–64 years), and elderly (aged 65 years and older). Finding clearly suggests mortality risk across the life course, is disproportionally associated with economically backward and lower caste people. Although, Income quintile gradient has found to considerable weaker in Adult ages as compared to younger ages. State level variation in mortality has also been observed which supports the contextual influence on mortality

A fundamental question in human aging research is what makes us survive to and at older ages. The separation and reunification of Germany provides us with a unique opportunity to assess external determinants of human survival to oldest ages on a population scale. In this context, we seek to estimate the impact of mortality selection among older East Germans before reunification as a reason for the quick catch up of life expectancy to the West after reunification. We use a gamma gompertz model to account for mortality convergence due to frailty variations caused by changing external conditions. We assume that the unfavourable conditions before reunification lead to a survival of more robust individuals than in the West and to quicker convergence of mortality among these age groups.

In one of the first studies ever on the subject we have reported a higher lifetime mortality rate for subfertile and sterile men without co-morbidity over all age groups in comparison to fertile men. The objective of this retrospective cohort study is to explore the association between male fertility and life time mortality. Little is known from literature reviews and own research about eventual biological mechanisms behind these mortality differentials. Here we go on reporting on a survey of surviving subjects and proxys on life time morbidity and reproductive biography details which may give additional information. Databases are general and semen parameters of 1408 patients attending the andrological service at Marburg University Hospital in 1949 and later and data from a core interview with 973 survivors and a proxy interview with 435 surviving family members. Results may indicate a protective effect of cohabiting with children (own/foster/adopted/step) for subfertile men.

The aim of this study is to analyze mortality in relation to domestic migration. Swedish administrative registry data was used, and all Swedish born residents alive at the end of the year 2000 were included, 7,74 million people.

Migration was measured over the life course and defined as crossing the border of the birth municipality. This is the first time smaller geographic areas than birth counties has been analyzed for Sweden. We use three main groups of migration status: non-migrants, migrants and return migrants. Return migrants have lived part of their lives in another municipality but has returned to their birth municipality later.

Mortality was followed-up for the period 2001–2010. There were 833 000 deaths recorded. Measured by standardized mortality ratios, and for the entire country, domestic migrants had significantly low mortality, and non-migrants had significantly elevated mortality. Men who were classified as return migrants had the same elevated mortality as non-migrants. Among women return migrants had average mortality.

The variation in mortality by migration status differed by birth cohort and type of municipality. Preliminary findings from regression modeling suggest that education contributes to mortality differences by migration status in Sweden.

Existing research has examined the mortality risk for older people living in different types of long-term care accommodation; however the impact of the duration of older people’s stay in different living arrangements and housing types on their mortality risk is relatively under-researched. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey this research estimates transitions to death by different demographic characteristics, socio-economic position, health status, living arrangements and transitions in housing type. In doing so, the analysis presents the relative risk of mortality for different groups depending on their socio-demographic characteristics in the years immediately before death. The paper shows that an individual’s transition to residential housing within 12 months of the final wave before dying is the strongest predictor of subsequent mortality. In contrast to this group, older people who have lived in residential care for at least 12 months show lower risk of mortality. The results contribute to our understanding of mortality risk during different housing transitions, and have policy implications for the design of long-term care accommodation in the UK.

Diabetes is seen as a global epidemic inflicting millions, mostly in developing nations and disadvantaged groups in developed nations. In the Philippines, about 3-4 million are believed to have diabetes. Worse, another 3-4 million may be at risk or already have this deadly condition but do not know it.

Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) have multiple responsibilities, including lifestyle modifications, dietary restrictions, self-monitoring of glucose levels, screening for complications, and adherence to medications. Depressive conditions, eating disorders, poor family relationships, and other psychological problems are common in patients and are associated with poor glycemic control. Studies have shown that family support has a great impact on management of diseases. In this light, this study aims to explore the relationship between family dysfunction and the glycemic control.

The study sample includes 68 patients of Angono General Hospital and Taytay Emergency Hospital with T2DM from September to November 2009. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were utilized in the study. The results show that there is an association between family function and the management of diabetes. This indicates that the family, as a source of support is an integral part in managing disease, particularly