Year: 2015
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Using historical data from 1,763 birth cohorts from 1800 to 1935 in 13 developed countries, we show that what is now seen as normal-a large excess of female life expectancy in adulthood-is a demographic phenomenon that emerged among people born in the late 1800s. We show that excess adult male mortality is clearly rooted in specific age groups, 50-70, and that the sex asymmetry emerged in cohorts born after 1880 when male:female mortality ratios increased by as much as 50% from a baseline of about 1.1. Heart disease is the main condition associated with increased excess male mortality for those born after 1900. We further show that smoking-attributable deaths account for about 30% of excess male mortality at ages 50-70 for cohorts born in 1900-1935. However, after accounting for smoking, substantial excess male mortality at ages 50-70 remained, particularly from cardiovascular disease. The greater male vulnerability to cardiovascular conditions emerged with the reduction in infectious mortality and changes in health-related behaviors.
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G1067818806, G1583786880, G174245277, G225983333, G507700558, G627755513, G9000197713, USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health, Multidisciplinary Research Training in Gerontology, Center for Demography of Health and Aging, Perimenopause in Brain Aging and Alzheimer's Disease, G95802296
OpenAlex ID: W1826823403