Suchergebnisse

International differences in health in older age are well-documented. Research on factors explaining these differences has not done justice to possible differences in factors related to 'gender-regimes'. Data for this study were harmonised in the framework of the Comparison of Longitudinal European Studies on Aging (CLESA) project, which included population-based studies from Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Israel aged 75-84 years. Indicators of health were disability in self-care, depressed mood, and self-rated health. In addition to country (i.e., gender-regime), potential individual explanatory factors included socio-demographics, diseases, lifestyle, and social engagement. The findings show inter-country differences in disability from progressive to traditional gender-regimes according to a North-South gradient: men and women in northern countries reported less disability than in southern countries. Depressed mood showed similar differences, although in Finland it was higher than in other northern countries, and in Spain it was lower than in other southern countries. Self-rated health was poorer in southern than in northern countries, with Finland inbetween. The difference in women's health between traditional and progressive genderregimes was larger for depressed mood and self-rated health than for disability. These differences persisted after accounting for individual explanatory factors. Among the explanatory factors, chronic morbidity showed the most consistent associations. The role of lifestyle and social factors varied across genders. Physical activity was more strongly associated with health in men than in women, whereas social factors were more prominent in women than in men. The international differences found in health largely corresponded to gender-regimes, and were only partly explained by individual factors. Further research on specific, gender-regime related factors is warranted.

The aim of this study was to identify macro-level determinants of early work exit and investigate whether the effects of these determinants differ across educational groups. We used data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) (2011–2013) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) (2010/2011–2012/2013) as well as macro-level data and included 10,584 participants in 14 European countries. We used logistic multilevel analyses to examine educational differences in macro-level determinants of early work exit. Macro-level determinants were: minimum unemployment replacement rates, expenditure on active labour market policies (aimed to help the unemployed find work) and passive labour market policies (unemployment and early retirement benefits), employment protection legislation (costs involved in dismissing individuals), unemployment rates, statutory pension age and implicit tax on continued work. We found low-educated workers to be more at risk of early work exit than higher educated workers. In low-educated men, higher unemployment replacement rates, higher expenditure on passive labour market policies, stricter employment protection legislation and a higher implicit tax on continued work were associated with a higher risk of early work exit, whereas no macro-level factors were associated with early work exit in highly educated men. In women, a higher expenditure on passive labour market policies and a higher implicit tax on continued work were determinants of early work exit, regardless of educational level. To conclude, low-educated men seem to be especially responsive to the effects of pull factors that make early retirement financially more attractive.

Background: Unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and physical inactivity, are associated with increased morbidity and mortality risk, even in older age. We investigated trends in lifestyle among three cohorts of adults aged 55-64 years from the Netherlands. Methods: Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used. This study consisted of three randomly selected samples of men and women. Lifestyle data were collected in 1992/1993 (cohort 1, n = 988), in 2002/2003 (cohort 2, n = 1002) and in 2012/2013 (cohort 3, n = 1023). Trends in lifestyle across cohorts were tested using multivariable regression analyses. Results: Complete lifestyle data were available for 834 participants from cohort 1, 861 from cohort 2 and 845 from cohort 3. Among men, but not in women, mean BMI and prevalence of obesity increased over time. The mean minutes per day spent being physically active decreased among both men and women, from 130 ± 107 and 230 ± 122 (1992/1993) to 114 ± 100 and 192 ± 109 (2002/2003), and 126 ± 98 and 187 ± 112 (2012/2013), respectively. The percentage of men and women defined as excessive drinkers (>7 alcoholic consumptions per week) increased from 54.9%, 62.3% to 65.4% (men) and 22.7%, 36.1% to 37.4% (women), in 1992/1993, 2002/2003 and 2012/2013, respectively. The percentage of non-smoking men and women increased over time. Conclusion: The lifestyle of Dutch adults aged 55-64 years was less healthy in 2012/2013 compared with 2002/2003 and 1992/1993. Political attention regarding healthy ageing should target the prevention of overweight, physical inactivity and excessive alcohol consumption in middle-aged persons.