scholarly journals Putting cumulative (dis)advantages in context: Comparing the role of educational inequality in later-life functional health trajectories in England and Germany

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. e0244371
Author(s):  
Martin Wetzel ◽  
Bram Vanhoutte
Keyword(s):  
Educational Inequality ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Educational Groups ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Educational Gradient

Background The cumulative (dis)advantage (CAD) perspective more and more is examined in a comparative way, to highlight the role of context in generating inequality over the life course. This study adds to this field of research by examining trajectories of activities of daily living (ADL) in later life by educational level in a country comparison of England and Germany, emphasizing differing institutional conditions. Method Data used are the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA; 11,352 individuals) and the German subsample of the Survey of Health and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; 5,573 individuals). Using population averaged Poisson panel regression models, 12-year trajectories of six birth cohorts are investigated, covering the age range of 50 to 90 years. Results Respondents in England have a higher level of limitations at age 50, and more limited increases over age than in Germany. An educational gradient exists in both countries at age 50. Notably, the educational gradient increases for more recently born cohorts, but declines with increasing age in England, while in Germany educational differences increase for more recently born cohort only. Discussion The current study indicates that CAD processes between educational groups are context sensitive. While England showed convergence of disparities with increasing age, in Germany no differential development was found.

scholarly journals A Longitudinal Study of Allostatic Load in Later Life: The Role of Sex, Birth Cohorts, and Risk Accumulation

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 419-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioana van Deurzen ◽  
Bram Vanhoutte
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Life Course

Are challenging life courses associated with more wear and tear on the biological level? This study investigates this question from a life-course perspective by examining the influence of life-course risk accumulation on allostatic load (AL), considering the role of sex and birth cohorts. Using biomarker data collected over three waves (2004, 2008, and 2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing ( N = 3,824) in a growth curve framework, AL trajectories over a period of 8 years are investigated. Our results illustrate that AL increases substantially in later life. Men have higher AL than women, but increases are similar for both sexes. Older cohorts have both higher levels and a steeper increase of AL over time. Higher risk accumulation over the life course goes hand in hand with higher AL levels and steeper trajectories, contributing to the body of evidence on cumulative (dis)advantage processes in later life.

scholarly journals The Role of Fertility in the Demography of Grandparenthood: Evidence from Italy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Di Gessa ◽  
Valeria Bordone ◽  
Bruno Arpino
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Intergenerational Transfers ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Age At First Birth ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Italian Survey ◽  
Fertility Differentials ◽  
Compositional Changes

Abstract Grandparents play an important role in their family’s lives. However, little is known about the demography of grandparenthood. Given dramatic recent changes in fertility, we explore the role of number of children and age at first birth in the timing of the transition into grandparenthood focusing on Italy, a country with well-known North-South fertility differentials. We used data from the 2009 Italian Survey ‘Family and Social Relations’ (N = 10,186) to estimate median ages of grandparenthood across three birth cohorts of parents (1920–29; 1930–39; 1940–49). Findings show an overall postponement of age of grandparenthood of 5 years, shifting for women from early to mid- or late-50s (in the South and North, respectively). Such postponement is largely driven by family compositional changes: although the age of grandparenthood among mothers of three or more children has not changed much over cohorts, the percentage of mothers with such characteristic decreased significantly. The heterogeneity in experiencing the transition to grandparenthood has implications for intergenerational transfers and other roles in later life.

scholarly journals Diurnal Cortisol Profiles and Veteran Status

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 637-637
Author(s):  
Jennifer Piazza ◽  
Scott Landes ◽  
Natalia Dmitrieva
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physiological Mechanisms ◽  
Veteran Status ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Lower Mortality Risk

Abstract Although veterans typically have better health and lower mortality risk than nonveterans earlier in life, a crossover occurs in later life, resulting in comparatively poorer health and higher mortality risk in older age. Alterations in biomarkers of physical health could be an initial indicator of this crossover. The current study uses data from the second wave of the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) survey. Previously validated cortisol profiles (Dmitrieva et al. 2013) were used to categorize participants (N = 1101, age range: 33-88) into normative and non-normative groups, that were examined in relation to veteran status. Results revealed a significant age by veteran interaction (β = .0331, p = .038), indicating that older veterans were less likely to belong to the normative profile group than non-veterans and younger veterans. Results demonstrate the need to explore underlying physiological mechanisms linking military service with poorer health in later life. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Aging Veterans: Effects of Military Service across the Life Course Interest Group.

Intercohort Variations in the Education–Health Gradient: Sociohistorical Changes in Early-Life Selection Mechanisms in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tirth R Bhatta
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Selection Mechanisms

Abstract Objectives Most prior studies on cohort-specific changes in the education gradient relative to health treat the distribution of education within a particular cohort as a “starting place” for understanding later-life health disparities. This premise has obfuscated the role that sociohistorical changes in early-life selection mechanisms play in the widening of education-based inequalities in functional limitations across birth cohorts. Methods Drawing from the Health and Retirement Survey (1992–2016; n = 20,920), this study employs inverse probability weight (IPW) to account for early-life selection mechanisms that are likely to affect both educational attainment and functional limitations. IPW-adjusted generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the total effect of education on functional limitations across birth cohorts (born 1924–1959). Results A significant linear decline in the negative effects of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage on education (β = 0.005, p < .01) over the birth year was documented. By contrast, the same variable’s negative effect on functional health increased significantly (β = 0.006, p < .001) across cohorts. Adjustment for childhood socioeconomic status did yield narrower education-based inequalities in functional limitations, but the difference between IPW-adjusted and unadjusted results was not statistically significant. The pattern of significant widening of education-based inequalities (β = −0.05, p < .001) in functional limitations across birth cohorts was maintained. Discussion This study underscores the role that sociohistorical changes in early-life selection mechanisms play in modifying patterns of education-based inequalities in health across cohorts.

scholarly journals Risk Aversion Among Male Older Adults: Does Veteran Status Matter?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 636-636
Author(s):  
Kent Jason Cheng ◽  
Scott Landes ◽  
Janet Wilmoth
Keyword(s):  
Risk Aversion ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Economic Outcomes ◽  
Veteran Status ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Status Differences ◽  
Retirement Study

Abstract Risk aversion determines how people make decisions and is known to predict a wide array of economic outcomes. This study assessed whether there are veteran status differences in risk aversion utilizing the Health and Retirement Study. Risk aversion is based on hypothetical financial gambles (N=2,121; 2006 wave) and self-reported risk attitudes on selected topics (N= 4,980; pooled 2014 and 2016 waves of the Leave-Behind Survey). Results from multivariate analyses reveal that veterans were more likely to be risk averse than nonveterans in financial matters, occupation, and health, but veteran status is not statistically significant in explaining risk taking in driving and leisure, and sport risk. Further research is needed to discern the role of military service-related experiences in determining levels of risk aversion among veterans and the extent to which risk aversion accounts for veteran status differences in later-life economic outcomes. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Aging Veterans: Effects of Military Service across the Life Course Interest Group.

scholarly journals Women's Experience of Child Death Over the Life Course: A Global Demographic Perspective

Demography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Alburez-Gutierrez ◽  
Martin Kolk ◽  
Emilio Zagheni
Keyword(s):  
Child Death ◽  
Adult Child ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Population ◽  
Parental Bereavement ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Older Parents ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Offspring Mortality

Abstract The death of a child affects the well-being of parents and families worldwide, but little is known about the scale of this phenomenon. Using a novel methodology from formal demography applied to data from the 2019 Revision of the United Nations World Population Prospects, we provide the first global overview of parental bereavement, its magnitude, prevalence, and distribution over age for the 1950–2000 annual birth cohorts of women. We project that the global burden of parental bereavement will be 1.6 times lower for women born in 2000 than for women born in 1955. Accounting for compositional effects, we anticipate the largest improvements in regions of the Global South, where offspring mortality continues to be a common life event. This study quantifies an unprecedented shift in the timing of parental bereavement from reproductive to retirement ages. Women in the 1985 cohort and subsequent cohorts will be more likely to lose an adult child after age 65 than to lose a young child before age 50, reversing a long-standing global trend. “Child death” will increasingly come to mean the death of adult offspring. We project persisting regional inequalities in offspring mortality and in the availability of children in later life, a particular concern for parents dependent on support from their children after retirement. Nevertheless, our analyses suggest a progressive narrowing of the historical gap between the Global North and South in the near future. These developments have profound implications for demographic theory and highlight the need for policies to support bereaved older parents.

Basic Skills, Literacy Practices and the ‘Hidden Injuries of Class’

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Cieslik ◽  
Donald Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Literacy Practices ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Literacy Learning ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Corrosive Effect ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

This paper draws on qualitative data from three research projects that examined the impact of poor skills on the life chances of adults living in two disadvantaged areas of England. We employed the theories of Goffman and Bourdieu to document how problems with literacy have a corrosive effect on the identities of interviewees, threatening their wellbeing. Though learning difficulties occur across all social backgrounds, the poor family resources and educational opportunities of our respondents meant they struggled to overcome their literacy problems when young, thus shaping later life course transitions. Thus the origins of the shame that our adults felt about their poor skills lie in part in the distinctive classed experiences they had when young. However, the resourcefulness of our respondents meant that many had secured employment, bought homes and become parents which obscured the ongoing psychic problems that a lifetime of poor skills had bestowed on our sample. The disjuncture between the apparent material standing of our sample and the ‘hidden injuries of class’ raises questions about how we understand the operation of class across the life course and the role of literacy, learning and wellbeing in the shaping of social identities.

scholarly journals New Perspectives on Loneliness: From Micro Qualitative to Macro Quantitative Cross-National Comparisons

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 609-609
Author(s):  
Marja Aartsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Longitudinal research revealed a number of micro-level drivers of loneliness, such as widowhood, exclusion from the wider society, ill health and migrant status, but a number of questions are still unanswered. For example, the prevalence of loneliness varies substantially across countries, but we do not know precisely what causes these differences. It may be due to differences in the composition of the populations, it may also be caused by macro-level drivers, or by variations in the impact of risk factors between countries. For example, losing a spouse may be loneliness provoking in countries where living with a partner is the norm, but less so in countries where living alone is more valued. Also how early childhood and events over the life course affect the level of loneliness in later life is still under-researched. The aim of our symposium is to address this gap by presenting different perspectives on loneliness and social isolation. The first presenter interprets five-year follow-up information from qualitative interviews with a life course perspective. The second investigates the role of trust as factor producing social integration, which leads to variations in loneliness. The third compares and discusses loneliness in three different continents, based on an ecological model of contexts. The forth presenter critically discusses ways to measure loneliness in societies that are culturally distinct from western cultures. The last presenter discusses the dynamics between loneliness and material deprivation in Europe. The findings provide a new lens through which we can understand loneliness and inform about effective prevention.

Education Inequalities in Health Among Older European Men and Women: The Role of Active Aging

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Arpino ◽  
Aïda Solé-Auró
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Active Aging ◽  
Inequalities In Health ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Educational Groups ◽  
Care Health ◽  
Low Educated ◽  
Educational Gradient ◽  
Different Levels

Objective: We assessed whether education inequalities in health among older people can be partially explained by different levels of active aging among educational groups. Method: We applied logistic regression and the Karlson, Holm, & Breen (KHB) decomposition method using the 2010 and 2012 waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe on individuals aged 50+ years ( N = 27,579). Active aging included social participation, paid work, and provision of grandchild care. Health was measured by good self-perceived health, low number of depressive symptoms, and absence of limitations because of health in activities people usually do. Results: We found a positive educational gradient for each of the three health measures. Up to a third of the health gaps between high and low educated were associated with differences in engagement in active aging activities. Discussion: Policies devoted at stimulating an active participation in society among older people should be particularly focused on lower educated groups.

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