Educational Differentials in U.S. Adult Mortality

Educational Differentials in U.S. Adult Mortality PDF Author: Isaac Sasson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
As life expectancy at birth in the United States approaches eighty years of age, educational differentials in adult mortality are greater than ever. One of the key sociological insights of our time is that these two processes are fundamentally interrelated. As society gains greater social capacity to control health and disease socioeconomic status (SES) becomes increasingly important for shaping healthy social environments and lifestyles, which reduce the risk of mortality. Of all SES indicators, educational attainment is perhaps the single most important predictor of mortality in the United States. Not only do low-educated Americans have shorter lifespans compared to their college-educated counterparts, on average, but they have recently suffered absolute declines in life expectancy. However, debates surrounding the extent, causes, and even validity of those trends continue. This dissertation makes several unique contributions to our understanding of lifespan inequality by educational attainment in the United States. First, using vital statistics data, it documents trends in life expectancy and lifespan variation--a unique dimension of lifespan inequality--by educational attainment for black and white Americans of both genders from 1990 to 2010. Second, it decomposes those trends by age and cause of death in order to understand the proximate causes of the educational disparity in adult mortality. Third, it evaluates the extent to which changes in the composition of education groups account for the rising education-mortality gradient. The findings reveal that the gap in life expectancy at age 25 between the low educated (having fewer than twelve years of schooling) and the college educated has doubled among men and more than tripled among women over the study period; that life expectancy declined among low-educated white men and women (by 0.6 and 3.1 years, respectively); and that much of these trends is attributed to an increase in premature deaths from smoking-related diseases and external causes. While both sides of the selection-causation debate have merit, changes in group composition do not fully account for the increase in mortality among low-educated Americans, for whom economic circumstances have worsened. Overall, the association between educational attainment and adult mortality is pervasive, enduring, and increasing in magnitude.

Educational Differentials in U.S. Adult Mortality

Educational Differentials in U.S. Adult Mortality PDF Author: Isaac Sasson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 308

Get Book Here

Book Description
As life expectancy at birth in the United States approaches eighty years of age, educational differentials in adult mortality are greater than ever. One of the key sociological insights of our time is that these two processes are fundamentally interrelated. As society gains greater social capacity to control health and disease socioeconomic status (SES) becomes increasingly important for shaping healthy social environments and lifestyles, which reduce the risk of mortality. Of all SES indicators, educational attainment is perhaps the single most important predictor of mortality in the United States. Not only do low-educated Americans have shorter lifespans compared to their college-educated counterparts, on average, but they have recently suffered absolute declines in life expectancy. However, debates surrounding the extent, causes, and even validity of those trends continue. This dissertation makes several unique contributions to our understanding of lifespan inequality by educational attainment in the United States. First, using vital statistics data, it documents trends in life expectancy and lifespan variation--a unique dimension of lifespan inequality--by educational attainment for black and white Americans of both genders from 1990 to 2010. Second, it decomposes those trends by age and cause of death in order to understand the proximate causes of the educational disparity in adult mortality. Third, it evaluates the extent to which changes in the composition of education groups account for the rising education-mortality gradient. The findings reveal that the gap in life expectancy at age 25 between the low educated (having fewer than twelve years of schooling) and the college educated has doubled among men and more than tripled among women over the study period; that life expectancy declined among low-educated white men and women (by 0.6 and 3.1 years, respectively); and that much of these trends is attributed to an increase in premature deaths from smoking-related diseases and external causes. While both sides of the selection-causation debate have merit, changes in group composition do not fully account for the increase in mortality among low-educated Americans, for whom economic circumstances have worsened. Overall, the association between educational attainment and adult mortality is pervasive, enduring, and increasing in magnitude.

International Handbook of Adult Mortality

International Handbook of Adult Mortality PDF Author: Richard G. Rogers
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9048199964
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 621

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Book Description
This handbook presents a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of unprecedented substantive, theoretical, methodological, and statistical developments and insights, and an in-depth examination of trends and patterns, in adult mortality around the world. With over two dozen chapters and more than 50 authors, this volume draws from top international mortality experts to provide one of the best overviews of life expectancy extant. The book documents remarkable gains in life expectancy, which stand out as one of the most important accomplishments of the twentieth century. Individuals in more developed countries can expect to live longer now than ever before, especially the Japanese who enjoy record-setting life expectancies. The book also explores unfortunate declines in life expectancy in selected countries brought on by such factors as infectious diseases; accidents, suicides, and homicides; and political and economic conflict and turmoil. This book synthesizes the wealth of mortality information available, clearly articulates the central findings to-date, identifies the most appropriate datasets and methods currently available, illuminates the central research questions, and develops an agenda to address these research questions. The authors carefully examine central factors related to mortality, including health behaviors, socioeconomic status, social relations, biomarkers, and genetic factors. The book will prove especially relevant to researchers, students, and policy makers within social and health sciences who want to better understand international trends and patterns in adult mortality.

High and Rising Mortality Rates Among Working-Age Adults

High and Rising Mortality Rates Among Working-Age Adults PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780309684736
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 8)

Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 8) PDF Author: Donald A. P. Bundy
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464804397
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 977

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Book Description
More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

Demography of Aging

Demography of Aging PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309050855
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
As the United States and the rest of the world face the unprecedented challenge of aging populations, this volume draws together for the first time state-of-the-art work from the emerging field of the demography of aging. The nine chapters, written by experts from a variety of disciplines, highlight data sources and research approaches, results, and proposed strategies on a topic with major policy implications for labor forces, economic well-being, health care, and the need for social and family supports.

The Relationship Between Education and Adult Mortality in the United States

The Relationship Between Education and Adult Mortality in the United States PDF Author: Adriana Lleras-Muney
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 56

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Book Description
Prior research has uncovered a large and positive correlation between education and health. This paper examines whether education has a causal impact on health. I follow synthetic cohorts using successive U.S. censuses to estimate the impact of educational attainment on mortality rates. I use compulsory education laws from 1915 to 1939 as instruments for education. The results suggest that education has a causal impact on mortality, and that this effect is perhaps larger than has been previously estimated in the literature.

The Effect of Educational Attainment on Adult Mortality in the United States

The Effect of Educational Attainment on Adult Mortality in the United States PDF Author: Robert A. Hummer
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Educational attainment
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description


Future Directions for the Demography of Aging

Future Directions for the Demography of Aging PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309474108
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
Almost 25 years have passed since the Demography of Aging (1994) was published by the National Research Council. Future Directions for the Demography of Aging is, in many ways, the successor to that original volume. The Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to produce an authoritative guide to new directions in demography of aging. The papers published in this report were originally presented and discussed at a public workshop held in Washington, D.C., August 17-18, 2017. The workshop discussion made evident that major new advances had been made in the last two decades, but also that new trends and research directions have emerged that call for innovative conceptual, design, and measurement approaches. The report reviews these recent trends and also discusses future directions for research on a range of topics that are central to current research in the demography of aging. Looking back over the past two decades of demography of aging research shows remarkable advances in our understanding of the health and well-being of the older population. Equally exciting is that this report sets the stage for the next two decades of innovative researchâ€"a period of rapid growth in the older American population.

U.S. Health in International Perspective

U.S. Health in International Perspective PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309264146
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

Living and Dying in the USA

Living and Dying in the USA PDF Author: Richard G. Rogers
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0080535550
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
The simplicity of using one data set in addressing the relationship of single variables to mortality distinguishes Living and Dying in the USA from other recent investigations of mortality. The authors use the recently released National Health Interview Survey and the National Death Index to make a definitive statement about demographics and mortality. By surveying demographic and sociocultural characteristics associated with mortality, socioeconomic effects, health-related conditions, and health status, they reveal connections among several factors related to mortality chances. Easily understood and cited, their study emphasizes the statistical methods underlying their revelations and invites readers to duplicate their results. Comprehensive coverage of US adult mortality differentials Based on a new and innovative data set Includes factors rarely examined in related mortality research Not only documents mortality differentials, but explores explanations for them Extensive list of references associated with each chapter Consistent, straightforward methodology used throughout aids readers in both understanding the content and in comparing results from chapter to chapter