week2

demography - study of populations

demographic transition - summarizes historical dynamics that led to changes in population

  • focuses on the number of deaths

epidemiology - study of occurrence of health related events and states in specified populations including the study of the determinants influencing these events

epidemiologic transition - changes in causes of death for that population

  • related to mortality component - the causes of death

baby boom - increase in the fertility rate 1946-1965

baby bust - drop in fertility rate 1966-1971

echo - modest increase in fertility rate in children of baby boomers 1972-1992

KEY TERMS

  • Activities of daily living: ADLs; tasks that are needed in daily life. Divided into basic ADLs, reflecting self-care (e.g., eating, dressing) and instrumental ADLs, reflecting more complex activities (e.g., preparing meals, paying bills).
     Note: The ability to perform these activities is often used as a measure of functional health.

  • Baby boom generation: The generation born between 1946 and 1964 reflecting the 'boom' in births after World War II in Canada and the United States. Note: There are some minor inconsistencies that you may see in definitions of the end of the baby boom (e.g., sometimes extended to 1965).

  • Centenarian: Someone who is at least 100 years of age

  • Chronological age: The length of time a person is alive (i.e., measured from date of birth)

  • Demography: "The study of populations, especially with reference to size and density, fertility, mortality, growth, age distribution, migration, and vital statistics, and the interaction of all these with social and economic conditions" (Porta, 2014)

  • Epidemiology: "The study of the occurrence and distribution of health-related events, states, and processes in specified populations, including the study of the determinants influencing such processes, and the application of this knowledge to control relevant health problems" (Porta, 2014)

  • Functional age: The age associated with the level at which a person is able to perform (e.g., a person's functional age may be younger than their chronological age if they are in excellent health)

  • Gerontology: The study of aging and age-related issues and the biopsychosocial factors that influence aging and old age

  • Incidence: Number of new cases

  • Life expectancy: The average number of years a person is expected to live. If no age is stated, it is interpreted as life expectancy at birth, but can also be expressed at different ages (e.g., life expectancy at age 65 reflects the expected remaining years of life after age 65).

  • Life span: The absolute period of time from birth to death that humans as a species may live (i.e., approximately 120 years)

  • Median age:  The median of the age distribution of a population (i.e., the age where half of the population is younger than that age, and the other half older)

  • Morbidity: Illness

  • Mortality: Death

  • Prevalence: Total number of cases (i.e., new + existing cases)

Individual aging - getting older increases risk of age-related conditions

Population aging - the population aging

  • life expectancies improved generally - a positive outlook where people live longer - or negative outlooks - increases costs and lessens resources

  • females live longer than males

  • proportion of older canadians is higher to the young and is growing especially the oldest old