China is aging at an extraordinary speed and has the largest quantity of elderly persons in the world. Scholars utilize this unprecedented living experience of human being and the unique Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) datasets with the aim to answer in this volume the following questions critical to the aging population world wide. Is the period of disability compressing or expanding with increasing life expectancy and what factors are associated with these trends in the recent decades? Is it possible to realize morbidity compression with a prolongation of the life span in the future?

The first section of the book presents the CLHLS project's study design, sample distribution, contents of data collected, and assessments of age reporting and data quality. The remaining chapters are grouped into sections dealing with the demographic, social, economic, familial and psychological dimensions of healthy longevity.

This volume contributes to the development of scientific knowledge related to the "slowing down" of the pace of progression of morbidity with mortality declines at older ages. Research findings reported in this book are instrumental in the ultimate realization of the long-term dream of healthy longevity, that is, not only living longer, but living a healthier life.

"The research in this book captures the highlight of a decade of effort on CLHLS study and represents an important milestone in our emerging understanding of how individuals can endeavor to live a long, healthy life and how societies can help them do so. We still have only a partial understanding of the determinants of healthy longevity, but we have a considerably better understanding than we had a decade ago. Moreover, we can look forward to prospects for a deeper understanding based in significant measure on the further analysis of data from the ongoing CLHLS endeavor."

-- James W. Vaupel, Director of Max Planck Institute for DemographicResearch and Professor of Duke University

"The CLHLS casts valuable light on important features of the aging process in the world's largest country. This volume will serve as a basic reference work both for Chinese studies and for comparative analyses."

-- Samuel Preston, Frederick Warren Professor of Demography, University of Pennsylvania

"The CLHLS is a fantastic enterprise which started 10 years ago and which will leave a benchmark of the social, economic, and familial situation of the Chinese elderly at the time when they comprised 7% of the whole population and when China entered a new period of accelerated aging. From now on population aging in China and its social consequences, as well as individual lengthening of life and its health consequences will be carefully assessed in reference to the CLHLS. We dream to have such studies for the other large countries on the point of also experiencing similar demographic changes"

-- Jean-Marie Robine, Research Director at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and Professor of University of Montpellier

Zusammenfassung

Key research in the world's largest aging population in China has fed into this important new work, which aims to answer questions critical to older people worldwide. These include: is the period of disability compressing or expanding with increasing life expectancy and what factors are associated with these trends in the recent decades? And is it possible to realize morbidity compression with a prolongation of the life span in the future? Essential reading for gerontologists.

Inhalt
Introduction: Aging and Aged Dependency in China.- Introduction: Aging and Aged Dependency in China.- CLHLS and its Data Quality Assessment.- to the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS).- General Data Quality Assessment of the CLHLS.- Reliability of Age Reporting Among the Chinese Oldest-Old in the CLHLS Datasets.- Age Reporting in the CLHLS: A Re-assessment.- Assessment of Reliability of Mortality and Morbidity in the 19982002 CLHLS Waves.- The Effects of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors.- The Effects of Sociodemographic Factors on the Hazard of Dying Among Chinese Oldest Old.- When I'm 104: The Determinants of Healthy Longevity Among the Oldest-Old in China.- Association of Education with the Longevity of the Chinese Elderly.- Analysis of Health and Longevity in the Oldest-Old PopulationA Health Capital Approach.- The More Engagement, the Better? A Study of Mortality of the Oldest Old in China.- Living Arrangements and Elderly Care.- Living Arrangements and Psychological Disposition of the Oldest Old Population in China.- Health and Living Arrangement Transitions among China's Oldest-old.- Intergenerational Support and Self-rated Health of the Elderly in Rural China: An Investigation in Chaohu, Anhui Province.- The Effects of Adult Children's Caregiving onthe Health Status of Their Elderly Parents: Protection or Selection?.- The Challenge to Healthy Longevity: Inequality in Health Care and Mortality in China.- Subjective Wellbeing and Disability.- Successful Ageing of the Oldest- Old in China.- Impairments and Disability in the Chinese and American Oldest-Old Population.- Tooth Loss Among the Elderly in China.- Psychological Resources for Well-Being Among Octogenarians, Nonagenarians, and Centenarians: Differential Effects of Age andSelective Mortality.- An Exploration of the Subjective Well-Being of the Chinese Oldest-Old.- Social Support and Self-Reported Quality of Life China's Oldest Old.- Mortality Predictability of Self-Rated Health Among the Chinese Oldest Old: A Time-Varying Covariate Analysis.- Gender Differences in the Effects of Self-rated Health Status on Mortality Among the Oldest Old in China.- Epilogue: Future Agenda.