Becoming oldest-oldEvidence from historical U.S. data

Becoming oldest-old

Evidence from historical U.S. data

Costa

Dora L.

Costa, Dora L.

Author

Lahey

Joanna

Lahey, Joanna

Author

text

working paper

Chestnut Hill, Mass. Center for Retirement Research at Boston College20032003monographic

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

2003

monographic

Englisheng

English

eng

electronicapplication/pdfborn digital

electronic

application/pdf

born digital

We use historical data to show that such indicators of insults in early childhood and young adulthood as quarter of birth, residence, occupation, wealth, and the incidence of specific infectious diseases affected older age mortality. We find that the effect of quarter of birth on older age mortality has diminished over the twentieth century, implying improvements in early life environmental factors. We find that up to one-fifth of the increase between 1900 and 1999 in the probability of a 65 year old surviving to age 85 may be attributable to early life conditions.

Dora L. Costa and Joanna Lahey.

CRR WP2003-10

CRR WP

2003-10

http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Working_Papers/wp_2003-10.pdf

MChBEnglisheng

MChB

Englisheng

English

eng