PROJECT
Trends in Late-life Health in the United States

A fundamental question surrounding the increase in survival is whether the extra years of life are being spent in good or bad health. The answer has important implications for the future of health care costs and the feasibility of efforts to extend labor force participation to older ages.  

Although the proportion of older Americans reporting that they have a disease or injury has increased in recent years, there has been a decline in the prevalence of limitations in such basic physical functions as walking and climbing. Evidence for improvements in cognitive function is limited to only a short period, but there is strong support for increasing ability to carry out such routine-needs activities as household chores and shopping. Subject to the most disagreement has been the trend in abilities to perform personal-care activities, which are concentrated among the most severely disabled and include such tasks as bathing and feeding oneself.  

This project’s goals are to (1) update into the twenty-first century information on trends in late-life health, including trends in prevalence, incidence, and recovery from disease, functional limitation, and disability; (2) investigate disparities in health trends by race/ethnicity, sex, marital status, nativity, and socioeconomic status; and (3) explore the role of experiences earlier in life as a possible explanation for overall trends in late-life health.

Location

United States

Non-Council collaborators

Vicki A. Freedman (Polisher Institute)

Linda G. Martin

Robert F. Schoeni (University of Michigan)

Donors

Polisher Institute

Population Council

US National Institute on Aging

US National Institutes of Health

Publications/Resources on this project

See Also

• Aging

• Social Science

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This page updated 8 May 2006

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