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Life History and Risk of Death after 50: A Survival Analysis for Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2015

Anna Nicińska  and
Małgorzata Kalbarczyk-Stęclik
Anna Nicińska*
Affiliation:
University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Poland
Małgorzata Kalbarczyk-Stęclik*
Affiliation:
University of Gothenburg, Faculty of Social Sciences, Sweden
*
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : Anna Nicińska, Ph.D. University of Warsaw Faculty of Economic Sciences Długa 44/50, 00-241 Warsaw, Poland (anicinska@wne.uw.edu.pl) or Małgorzata Kalbarczyk-Stęclik, Ph.D. University of Gothenburg Faculty of Social Sciences Sprängkullsgatan 25 S-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (mkalbarczyk@wne.uw.edu.pl)
†Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à : Anna Nicińska, Ph.D. University of Warsaw Faculty of Economic Sciences Długa 44/50, 00-241 Warsaw, Poland (anicinska@wne.uw.edu.pl) or Małgorzata Kalbarczyk-Stęclik, Ph.D. University of Gothenburg Faculty of Social Sciences Sprängkullsgatan 25 S-40530 Gothenburg, Sweden (mkalbarczyk@wne.uw.edu.pl)
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Abstract

In this study we investigated the impact of events from an individual’s past on the risk of death for Europeans aged 50 and older, controlling for other relevant variables. Our analysis was based on the data from retrospective biographic interviews, regular longitudinal interviews, and end-of-life interviews from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. In particular, we captured retrospectively self-reported health in childhood; periods of poverty, hunger, and poor health experienced in the past; and the history of health care, including regular dental care, blood tests, and blood pressure measurements. This information, along with age, gender, current subjective and objective health, and other socio-demographic characteristics, enables assessment of the risk of death. We applied the proportional hazard model to explain the risk of death. The survival analysis shows that events experienced in the past significantly affect risk of death for Europeans aged 50 and older, controlling for other relevant variables.

Résumé

Dans notre étude nous avons examiné l’influence des événements du passé des individus sur le risque de décès des Européens âgés de plus de 50 ans, en contrôlant autres variables pertinentes. Notre analyse était basée sur les données d’entretiens biographiques rétrospectifs, les données d’entretiens réguliers au suivi longitudinal et celles d’entretiens de fin de vie de l’Enquête européenne SHARE sur la santé, le vieillissement et la retraite en Europe. En particulier, nous relevons l’état de santé auto-déclaré pendant l’enfance; les périodes de pauvreté, de faim et de mauvaise santé éprouvées dans le passé; et aussi l’histoire des soins de santé, y compris les soins dentaires, les analyses de sang et les mesures de pression artérielle. Ces informations, avec l’age, le sexe, l’état de santé subjectif et objectif, et d’autres facteurs socio-démographiques, permettent d’expliquer le risque de décès. L’analyse de survie, en contrôlant des variables pertinentes, montre que les événements du passé ont un impact significatif sur le risque de décès des Européens âgés de plus de 50 ans.

Keywords

agingrisk of deathfrailtylife historylife courseindividuals aged 50 and oldervieillissmentle risque de décèsla fragilitél’histoire de viele cours de vieles individus âgés de plus de 50 ans
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 34 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 481 - 491
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2015 

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