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Association Between Social Factors of Health Ageing and Longevity: Determinants of the Longevity Index (LI) in OECD Countries

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Abstract

This study estimates the longevity index (LI) of centenarians and elucidates the influence of correlates of social factors as healthy ageing on the LI of centenarians in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The data for the analysis of centenarians in the selected 18 OECD countries were obtained from the population censuses conducted by the National Statistical Offices of these member countries. This study utilized the demographic databases of centenarians from the above countries to calculate the following parameters: the proportion between the centenarians and the total population. Although significant positive correlations were found between the LI of centenarians and social factors such as health expenditure as a percentage of the gross domestic product (HGDP), and public expenditure on health (PH) and dependency expenditure ratio (DR), negative correlations were found between the LI of centenarians and social factors such as, suicide rates in both genders (SR), suicide rates in women (SRW), and occupational injuries (OI). Finally, the LI predictors were used to form a model of healthy ageing, with higher HGDP as health expenditure, and higher DR as dependency expenditure, and lower SRW as risk of life, including lower OI as labor injuries (R 2 = 0.909, P = 0.023). The findings imply that an aged society plays an important role in ensuring the continued longevity of older people; therefore, the governments of OECD countries must strengthen their preventive social programmers and increase their existing support services for the elderly through increased financing of the health sector.

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  1. Division of Health and Welfare, Wonkwang University, Iksan, 570-749, Republic of Korea

    Jong In Kim

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  1. Jong In Kim
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Correspondence to Jong In Kim.

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Kim, J.I. Association Between Social Factors of Health Ageing and Longevity: Determinants of the Longevity Index (LI) in OECD Countries. Ageing Int 39, 97–105 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-012-9178-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-012-9178-8

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