Prospects for life span extension.

Life expectancy has increased dramatically in the United States and in much of the world in recent years and decades. The factors underlying this increase are incompletely understood and are undoubtedly complex. A question that drives current research is whether life expectancy can be further extended using current knowledge of modifiable risk factors. A still more challenging research focus is on the possibility that life expectancy might be further increased through knowledge gained from studies of the basic biology of aging and its genetic and environmental modifiers.

Demographic dimensions of population aging in developing countries.

Several demographic aspects of population aging in developing countries are considered: the older old, the median age of a population, life expectancy and mortality, functional status and disability, sex differences, urbanization, and the labor force. While the demographic impact of population aging is becoming better appreciated, the descriptive epidemiology of age-related changes in health and physical functioning in developing countries is still at an early stage.

The health of aging populations in China and India.

China and India are home to two of the world's largest populations, and both populations are aging rapidly. Our data compare health status, risk factors, and chronic diseases among people age forty-five and older in China and India. By 2030, 65.6 percent of the Chinese and 45.4 percent of the Indian health burden are projected to be borne by older adults, a population with high levels of noncommunicable diseases. Smoking (26 percent in both China and India) and inadequate physical activity (10 percent and 17.7 percent, respectively) are highly prevalent. Health policy and interventions informed by appropriate data will be needed to avert this burden.