The Measure of Man and Older Age Mortality: Evidence from the Gould Sample / Dora L. Costa.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Costa, Dora L.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w8843.

NBER working paper series no. w8843

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

The Measure of Man and Older Age Mortality

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2002.

Summary:

This paper documents differences in body size between white, black, and Indian mid-nineteenth century American men and investigates the socioeconomic and demographic determinants of frame size using a unique data set of Civil War soldiers. It finds that over time men have grown taller and heavier and have relatively less abdominal fat. Abdominal fat in young adulthood was an excellent predictor of older age mortality from ischemic heart disease or stroke. Changes in frame size explain roughly three-fifths of the mortality decline among white men between 1915 and 1988 and predict even sharper declines in older age mortality between 1988 and 2022.

Notes:

Print version record

March 2002.