Research on poverty in the United States has largely consisted of examining cross-sectional levels of absolute poverty. In this analysis, we focus on understanding relative poverty within a life course context. Specifically, we analyze the likelihood of individuals falling below the 20th percentile and the 10th percentile of the income distribution between the ages of 25 and 60. A series of lif...

A number of indices exist to calculate lifespan variation, each with different underlying properties. Here, we present new formulae for the response of seven of these indices to changes in the underlying mortality schedule (life disparity, Gini coefficient, standard deviation, variance, Theil's index, mean logarithmic deviation, and interquartile range). We derive each of these indices from an ...

OBJECTIVES The number of quit attempts it takes a smoker to quit successfully is a commonly reported figure among smoking cessation programmes, but previous estimates have been based on lifetime recall in cross-sectional samples of successful quitters only. The purpose of this study is to improve the estimate of number of quit attempts prior to quitting successfully. DESIGN We used data from ...

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HC) is portrayed in past literature as having an ominous prognosis. However, most studies emanated from medical centers and suffered from potential referral bias. A population based, community diagnosed and treated survival study is analyzed by the life table method. Despite potential causes for both underestimation of the observed mortality as well as for overestim...

One validated methodology is the 'previous birth technique', in which women attending antenatal clinics are asked about their previous birth experience. Those with a previous live birth are asked whether that child is still alive, and the West model life table is used to estimate the IMR from these data (0 Bradshaw unpublished report, Medical Research Council). The same tables provide estimates...

Disability-free life expectancy (DFLE) was compared in six countries taking part in the Cross-national Determinants of Quality of Life and Health Services for the Elderly (CLESA) project. Data from six existing longitudinal studies were used: TamELSA (Tampere, Finland), CALAS (Israel), ILSA (Italy), LASA (The Netherlands), Aging in Leganés (Leganés, Spain) and SATSA (Sweden). A harmonised four-...

Some risk exposures, including many medical and surgical procedures, typically carry hazards of death that are difficult to convey and appreciate in absolute terms. I propose presenting the death risk as a condensed life experience (i.e., the equivalent amount of life T that would carry the same cumulative mortality hazard for a person of the same age and sex based on life tables). For example,...

BACKGROUND Studies show that the U.S. foreign-born population has lower mortality than the native-born population before age 65. Until recently, the lack of data prohibited reliable comparisons of U.S. mortality by nativity at older ages. This study provides reliable estimates of U.S. foreign-born and native-born mortality at ages 65 and older at the end of the 20(th) century. Life expectancies...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Variations between countries in occupational differences in stroke mortality were observed among men during the 1980s. This study estimates the magnitude of differences in stroke mortality by educational level among men and women aged >or=30 years in 10 European populations during the 1990s. METHODS Longitudinal data from mortality registries were obtained for 10 Europe...

OBJECTIVES To provide reference expected cumulative survival tables, reducing steps in the calculation of mortality ratios and excess death rates from the medical literature, when source data are in terms of survival curves or cumulative survival rates. METHOD Actuarial methodology. RESULTS Tables provide cumulative expected survival rates calculated by entry age and for different periods o...