O avellentamento en América Latina e no Caribe

This paper focuses on elderly health profiles and examines the conjecture that elderly health status has been significantly impacted by the evolution of mortality in countries of the region. We use SABE (Survey on Health and Well-Being of Elders), a cross-sectional representative sample of over 10,000 elderly aged 60 and above in private homes fielded in seven major cities in Latin America and the Caribbean. We examine the following health outcomes: self-reported health, functional limitations-Activities of Daily Living (ADL's) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL's), obesity (ratio of weight in kilograms to the square of height in centimeters), and self reported chronic conditions (including diabetes). We examine patterns of self-reported health, self-reported chronic conditions, and disability. We also examine relations between early childhood conditions and adult health. In particular, we attempt to illustrate the idea that early childhood conditions and adult health are related. However, the relations are not strong and the evidence for it is weak at best.