Key indicators of well-being

"This report provides the latest data on the 37 key indicators selected by the Forum to portray aspects of the lives of older Americans and their families. It is divided into five subject areas: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care." --Website."Americans age 65 and over are an important and growing segment of our population. Many federal agencies provide data on aspects of older Americans' lives, but it can be difficult to fit the pieces together. Thus, it has become increasingly important for policymakers and the general public to have an accessible, easy-to-understand portrait that shows how older Americans are faring. Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well-Being (Older Americans 2010) provides a comprehensive picture of our older population's health and well-being. It is the fifth chartbook prepared by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum), which now has 15 participating federal agencies. As with the earlier volumes, readers will find here an accessible compendium of indicators drawn from the most reliable official statistics. The indicators are again categorized into five broad groups: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. Many of the estimates reported in Older Americans 2010 were collected in 2007 and 2008, the years straddling the large-scale financial downturn that began in December 2007. Thus, although this was an economically challenging time, the data reported in Older Americans 2010 do not in all cases reflect this crisis. The Forum did produce a short report, Data Sources on the Impact of the 2008 Financial Crisis on the Economic Well-being of Older Americans at the end of 2009 that provides information about data sources that may shed light on the effects of the economic downturn on the well-being of older Americans." - p. iiForeword -- Acknowledgments -- About this report -- List of tables -- Highlights -- Population -- Indicator 1: Number of Older Americans -- Indicator 2: Racial and Ethnic Composition -- Indicator 3: Marital Status -- Indicator 4: Educational Attainment -- Indicator 5: Living Arrangements -- Indicator 6: Older Veterans -- -- Economics -- Indicator 7: Poverty -- Indicator 8: Income -- Indicator 9: Sources of Income -- Indicator 10: Net Worth -- Indicator 11: Participation in the Labor Force -- Indicator 12: Total Expenditures -- Indicator 13: Housing Problems -- -- Health Status -- Indicator 14: Life Expectancy -- Indicator 15: Mortality -- Indicator 16: Chronic Health Conditions -- Indicator 17: Sensory Impairments and Oral Health -- Indicator 18: Respondent- Assessed Health Status -- Indicator 19: Depressive Symptoms -- Indicator 20: Functional Limitations -- -- Health Risks and Behaviors -- Indicator 21: Vaccinations -- Indicator 22: Mammography -- Indicator 23: Diet Quality -- Indicator 24: Physical Activity -- Indicator 25: Obesity -- Indicator 26: Cigarette Smoking -- Indicator 27: Air Quality -- Indicator 28: Use of Time -- -- Health Care -- Indicator 29: Use of Health Care Services -- Indicator 30: Health Care Expenditures -- Indicator 31: Prescription Drugs -- Indicator 32: Sources of Health Insurance -- Indicator 33: Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditures -- Indicator 34: Sources of Payment for Health Care Services -- Indicator 35: Veterans' Health Care -- Indicator 36: Residential Services -- Indicator 37: Personal Assistance and Equipment -- Data Needs -- References -- Appendix A: Detailed Tables -- Appendix B: Data Source Descriptions -- Appendix C: GlossaryFederal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics.The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics consists of the U.S. Census Bureau, the DHHS Administration on Aging, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medaid Services, the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Institute of Aging, and 9 other US Federal institutions.Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (15.9 MB, 174 p.).Includes bibliographical references

Key indicators of well-being

Population -- Economics -- Health status -- Health risks and behaviors -- Health care."November 2004"--Cover [p. 2].The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics consists of the U.S. Census Bureau, the DHHS Administration on Aging, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medaid Services, the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Institute of Aging, and 9 other US Federal institutions.Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (7.5 MB, 160 p.).Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-65)

Key Indicators of Well-Being

Members of the forum -- About this report -- Population -- Economics -- Health status -- Health risks and behaviors -- Health care -- References -- Appendix A: selected detailed."May 2006.""CS100202 (05/2006)."--P. [3] of cover.The Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics consists of the U.S. Census Bureau, the DHHS Administration on Aging, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medaid Services, the National Center for Health Statistics, the National Institute of Aging, and 9 other US Federal institutions.Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (7.78 MB, 75 p.).System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-59)

Data sources on older Americans 2006

Report highlights the aging-related surveys and products sponsored by the Federal government that contain statistical information about the older population. It provides a list of information currently available from member agencies of the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics (Forum) as well as other federal agencies."CS106110 (11/2006)" - -Back cover.Questions about the Data sources on older Americans may be directed to the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics.Also available via the World Wide Web

Older Americans 2000 : key indicators of well-being.

"Also available on the World Wide Web at http://agingstats.gov"--P. [2] of cover.Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-54).Mode of access: Internet

A population-based study of asthma, quality of life, and occupation among elderly Hispanic and non-Hispanic whites: a cross-sectional investigation

BACKGROUND: The U.S. population is aging and is expected to double by the year 2030. The current study evaluated the prevalence of asthma and its correlates in the elderly Hispanic and non-Hispanic white population. METHODS: Data from a sample of 3021 Hispanics and non-Hispanic White subjects, 65 years and older, interviewed as part of an ongoing cross-sectional study of the elderly in west Texas, were analyzed. The outcome variable was categorized into: no asthma (reference category), current asthma, and probable asthma. Polytomous logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the outcome variable and various socio-demographic measures, self-rated health, asthma symptoms, quality of life measures (SF-12), and various occupations. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of current asthma and probable asthma were 6.3% (95%CI: 5.3–7.2) and 9.0% (95%CI: 7.8–10.1) respectively. The majority of subjects with current asthma (Mean SF-12 score 35.8, 95%CI: 34.2–37.4) or probable asthma (35.3, 34.0–36.6) had significantly worse physical health-related quality of life as compared to subjects without asthma (42.6, 42.1–43.1). In multiple logistic regression analyses, women had a 1.64 times greater odds of current asthma (95%CI: 1.12–2.38) as compared to men. Hay fever was a strong predictor of both current and probable asthma. The odds of current asthma were 1.78 times (95%CI: 1.24–2.55) greater among past smokers; whereas the odds of probable asthma were 2.73 times (95%CI: 1.77–4.21) greater among current smokers as compared to non-smokers. Similarly fair/poor self rated health and complaints of severe pain were independently associated with current and probable asthma. The odds of current and probable asthma were almost two fold greater for obesity. When stratified by gender, the odds were significantly greater among females (p-value for interaction term = 0.038). The odds of current asthma were significantly greater for farm-related occupations (adjusted OR = 2.09, 95%CI: 1.00–4.39); whereas the odds were significantly lower among those who reported teaching as their longest held occupation (adjusted OR = 0.36, 95%CI = 0.18–0.74). CONCLUSION: This study found that asthma is a common medical condition in the elderly and it significantly impacts quality of life and general health status. Results support adopting an integrated approach in identifying and controlling asthma in this population

Physical activity and quality of life in community dwelling older adults

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity has been consistently associated with enhanced quality of life (QOL) in older adults. However, the nature of this relationship is not fully understood. In this study of community dwelling older adults, we examined the proposition that physical activity influences global QOL through self-efficacy and health-status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants (N = 321, <it>M </it>age = 63.8) completed measures of physical activity, self-efficacy, global QOL, physical self worth, and disability limitations. Data were analyzed using covariance modeling to test the fit of the hypothesized model.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analyses indicated direct effects of a latent physical activity variable on self-efficacy but not disability limitations or physical self-worth; direct effects of self-efficacy on disability limitations and physical self worth but not QOL; and direct effects of disability limitations and physical self-worth on QOL.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our findings support the role of self-efficacy in the relationship between physical activity and QOL as well as an expanded QOL model including both health status indicators and global QOL. These findings further suggest future PA promotion programs should include strategies to enhance self-efficacy, a modifiable factor for improving QOL in this population.</p