Gender Differences in Health Among the Elderly in China
Men and women face distinct challenges in late life. Paradoxically, men tend to have shorter lives but women have more health problems at any given age. Addressing why women live longer but have more health problems and why men die earlier can help reduce health care and long-term care costs for the elderly and narrow the gender health gap. Toshiko Kaneda, Population Reference Bureau; Zachary Zimmer, University of Utah; and Xianghua Fang and Zhe Tang, Capital Medical University, examined a sample of older adults in Beijing to determine gender differences in health and mortality after a five-year period. (June 2009)

Social Support, Networks, and Happiness
This e-newsletter is the 17th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Social Support, Networks, and Happiness," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on the relationships between aging and social connections. (June 2009)

The Changing Demography of U.S. Flight Attendants
Over the last several decades, many industries have experienced significant structural changes that have affected their employees. The airline industry, for example, has faced major policy and economic forces that have changed the demography of its workers, especially its flight attendants. Flight attendants have become older compared with the overall U.S. workforce over the last several decades. The ongoing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants will age even more in the coming years as many workers are likely to postpone their retirement. (June 2009)

Effects of Early Life on Elderly Health
This e-newsletter is the 16th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Effects of Early Life on Elderly Health," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on the effects of early life on adult and elderly health. (April 2009)

The Effect of Smoking on Trends in U.S Mortality at Older Ages
Samuel Preston is the Fredrick J. Warren professor of demography, Population Aging Research Center, at the University of Pennsylvania. Preston talked with PRB about the current rates of smoking in the United States and its contribution to mortality in the United States and other developed countries. This webcast is underwritten by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, Behavioral and Social Research Unit, through a grant from the University of Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging. Funding has also been provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (April 2009)

U.S. Adult Mortality and Health Trends in an International Context
Eileen Crimmins, professor of gerontology and sociology at the Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California and the Director of Training, Multidisciplinary Research Training in Gerontology, talked with PRB about life expectancy in the U.S. compared with other countries; the reasons for differing mortality trends; and the effects of lifestyle, behavior, and the health care system on mortality. This webcast is underwritten by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, Behavioral and Social Research Unit, through a grant from the University of Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging. Funding has also been provided by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. (April 2009)

Cognitive Impairment and Decline: Interview With Kenneth Langa, University of Michigan
With continued population aging—the number of Americans ages 65 or older is projected to swell from around 41 million to 65 million over the next 15 years—the loss of cognitive function among some older Americans foreshadows a potentially enormous social and economic burden on individuals, families, communities, and the nation. In this interview, Kenneth Langa, University of Michigan School of Medicine and Institute for Social Research, discusses cognitive impairment and its causes, trends, and effects in the United States. He warns that certain trends may adversely affect the brain health of Americans, especially rising obesity rates and a consequent increase in diabetes, which is also associated with declining cognitive function among older adults. (April 2009)

Education, Medical Treatment, and Social Networks Can Promote 'Brain Health' Among U.S. Elderly
With continued population aging and increasing numbers of elderly, the loss of cognitive function among some older Americans foreshadows a potentially enormous social and economic burden on individuals, families, communities, and the nation. Three researchers present their findings on how education, income, better treatment of stroke and heart disease, and other factors affect the severe decline in cognitive ability among nearly 10 percent of U.S. elderly. (March 2009)

Brazil's Fertility Falls Below Two-Child Average
Recent population estimates from Brazil's national statistical office (IBGE) peg the national fertility rate at just 1.9 lifetime children per woman in 2007, lower than previous rates estimated by the UN, the U.S. Census Bureau, PRB, and other international organizations that estimate population measures. Notably, this new estimate is below the long-term replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman—and below the 2.1 estimated for the United States in 2007. (February 2009)

Social Security Systems Around the World
This e-newsletter is the 15th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Social Security Systems Around the World," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on the social security system in the United States and worldwide in order to better understand their effects and possible means of reform. (January 2009)