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Changes in the Process of Aging During the Twentieth Century: Findings and Procedures of the Early Indicators Project

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  • Robert W. Fogel

Abstract

The program project Early Indicators of Later Work Levels, Disease and Death investigates how socioeconomic and environmental factors in early life can shape health and work levels in later life. Project researchers have approached this problem by creating a life-cycle sample that permits a longitudinal study of the aging of Union Army veterans, the first cohort to reach age 65 during the twentieth century. Comparing Union Army data with data from NHANES and NHIS has shown that age-specific prevalence rates of specific chronic diseases and disabilities were much higher in the century before World War II among both young and old than today. Moreover, the number of comorbidities at each age has fallen sharply. Also, the average age at onset of chronic diseases was more than a decade later at the end of the twentieth century than at the beginning. The implications of these findings for several issues in health economics are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert W. Fogel, 2003. "Changes in the Process of Aging During the Twentieth Century: Findings and Procedures of the Early Indicators Project," NBER Working Papers 9941, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:9941
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    Cited by:

    1. Kelly Bedard & Olivier Deschênes, 2006. "The Long-Term Impact of Military Service on Health: Evidence from World War II and Korean War Veterans," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(1), pages 176-194, March.
    2. Máximo Rossi & Patricia Triunfo, 2004. "El Estado de Salud del Adulto Mayor en Uruguay," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 1404, Department of Economics - dECON.
    3. repec:dau:papers:123456789/7972 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Arora Suchit, 2012. "Understanding Aging during the Epidemiologic Transition," Working Papers 12-07, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    5. Siegfried Geyer & Sveja Eberhard & Bernhard Magnus W Schmidt & Jelena Epping & Juliane Tetzlaff, 2018. "Morbidity compression in myocardial infarction 2006 to 2015 in terms of changing rates and age at occurrence: A longitudinal study using claims data from Germany," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-19, August.
    6. Dora L. Costa & Heather DeSomer & Eric Hanss & Christopher Roudiez & Sven E. Wilson & Noelle Yetter, 2017. "Union Army veterans, all grown up," Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 79-95, April.
    7. repec:dau:papers:123456789/3883 is not listed on IDEAS

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    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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