Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Aging in Mexico and Latin America

  • Chapter
Book cover International Handbook of Population Aging

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Population ((IHOP,volume 1))

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the fastest aging geographic regions in the developing world. The growth in the percentage of elderly (the number of those aged 65 and older divided by the total population) between 2000 and 2025 is projected to be 17 per cent for Sub-Saharan Africa, 47 per cent for the Near East, 79 per cent for Asia (excluding Near East) and 82 per cent for LAC (U.S. Bureau of the Census 2000). Rapid mortality and fertility decline in the last half of the twentieth century started the process of aging in the LAC region, a process that should accelerate starting around 2030. Thus, the period for investment in infrastructure to assist LAC societies is imminent, in particular because infrastructures such as financial markets, human resources to provide health care and investments in the young are deemed to translate into well-being of the future elderly of the region but these systems take two or three decades to formulate or reach maturity. The geographic location of this region, just south of the United States and Canada, also represents peculiar challenges and opportunities for the aging of the LAC populations. Overall, the current and future aging of the countries in this region convey a mixed picture of privileges and disadvantages.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Al Snih S, Ray L, Markides K (2006) Prevalence of self-reported arthritis among elders from Latin America and the Caribbean and among Mexican Americans from the southwestern United States. J Aging Health 18(2):207–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albala C, Kain J, Burrows R, Diaz E (2000) Obesidad: Un desa-fio pendiente. Santiago, Chile: Editorial Universitaria, Uni-versidad de Chile

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker DJP (1998) Mothers, babies and health in later life. Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrantes-Monge M, García-Mayo EJ, Gutiérrez-Robledo LM, Miguel-Jaimes A (2007) Dependencia funcional y enfer-medades crónicas en ancianos mexicanos. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 4):S459–S466

    Google Scholar 

  • Barrientos A (1997) The changing face of pensions in Latin America: Design and prospects of individual capitalization pension plans. Soc Policy Admin 31(4):336–353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brea J (2003) Population dynamics of Latin America. Popul Bull 58(1)

    Google Scholar 

  • Castro V, Gómez-Dantés H, Negrete-Sanchez J, Tapia-Conyer R (1996) Las enfermedades crónicas en las personas de 60–69 años. Salud Pública de México 38:438–447

    Google Scholar 

  • CISS (2003) Evaluation of the reforms: The Americas Social Security report 2003. Mexico: Interamerican Conference on Social Security

    Google Scholar 

  • CONAPO (2005) Envejecimiento de la población de México: Reto del siglo XXI. México, Consejo Nacional de Población

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa D, Helmchen LA, Wilson S (2007) Race, infection and arteriosclerosis in the past. PNAS 104(33):13219–13224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CRELES (2007) Descripción, costa rica: Estudio de longevidad y envejecimiento saludable (2007) Retrieved September 24, 2007 from http://ccp.ucr.ac.cr/creles/descripc.htm

  • Crimmins EM, Finch CE (2006) Infection, inflammation, height and longevity. PNAS 103(2):498–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cruz-Saco MA, Mesa-Lago C (eds) (1998) Do options exist? The reform of pension and health care systems in Latin America. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Cutler D, Knaul F, Lozano R, Mendez O, Zurita B (2000) Financial crisis, health outcomes and aging: Mexico in the 1980s and 1990s (NBER Working Paper 7746). Retrieved October 8, 2007, from econpapers.repec.org/paper/nbrn-berwo/7746.htm

  • Cynader MS (1994) Mechanisms of brain development and their role in health and well-being. Daedalus 123(4):155–165

    Google Scholar 

  • De Vos S (1990) Extended family living among older people in six Latin American countries J Gerontol 45(Suppl 3): S87–S94

    Google Scholar 

  • De Vos S, Palloni A (2002) Living arrangements of elderly people around the world. (Working Paper, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Center for Demography   Ecology)

    Google Scholar 

  • Elo IT, Preston SH (1992) Effects of early-life conditions on adult mortality: A review. Popul Index 58(2):186–212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ENASEM (2004) Documento metodológico de la encuesta 2001, Estudio Nacional de Salud y Envejecimiento en Mexico. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu

  • Espinoza M, Wong R (2004) Intergenerational assistance in middle- and old-age in Mexico: Life cycle stages in a developing economy. In Population Association of America 2004 Annual Meeting, April 1–3, 2004. Boston: Population Association of America

    Google Scholar 

  • Finch CE, Crimmins EM (2004) Inflammatory exposure and historical changes in human life-spans. Science 305:1736–1739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fong IW (2000) Emerging relations between infectious diseases and coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis. CMAJ 163(1):49–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Franco-Marina F (2007) Adult smoking trends in Mexico: An analysis of the Mexican National Addiction Surveys. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 2):S137–S146

    Google Scholar 

  • Frenk J, Frejka T, Bobadilla JL, Stern C, Sepulveda J (1991) Elements for a theory of the health transition. Health Transition Rev 1(1):21–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Glaser K, Agree EM, Costenbader E, Camargo A, Trench B, Natividad J et al (2006) Fertility decline, family structure, and support for older persons in Latin America and Asia. J Aging Health 18(2):259–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ham Chande R (2003) El envejecimiento en México: El siguiente reto de la transición demográfica. México, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez B, Cuevas-Nasu L, Shamah-Levy T, Monterrubio EA, Ramirez-Silva CI, Garcia-Feregrino R et al (2003) Factors associated with overweight and obesity in Mexican school-age children: Results from the National Nutrition Survey 1999. Salud Pública de México 45(Suppl 4):S551–S557

    Google Scholar 

  • Hertzman C (1994) The lifelong impact of childhood experiences: A population health perspective. Daedalus 123:167–180

    Google Scholar 

  • INEGI (2000) Estados Unidos Mexicanos: XII Censo General de Población y Vivienda. Tabulated from the Muestra Cen-sal. Mexico: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática

    Google Scholar 

  • James E, Cox Edwards A, Wong R (2003) The gender impact of pension reform. Public Econ Finance 2(2):181–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kinsella K, Phillips DR (2005) Global aging: The challenge of success. Popul Bull 60(1)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinsella K, Velkoff V (2001) An aging world (US Bureau of the Census Publication). US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinsberg B (2000) America Latina: Una region en riesgo, pobreza, inequidad e institucionalidad social. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Knaul FM, Frenk J (2005) Health insurance in Mexico: Achieving universal coverage through structural reform. Health Aff 24(6):1467–1476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knaul FM, Arreola-Ornelas H., Méndez-Carniado O, Torres AC (2007) Impoverishing and catastrophic household health spending among families with older adults in Mexico: A health reform priority,’ In: Angel JA, Whitfield KE (eds) The health of aging Hispanics: the Mexican-origin Population, Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuh D, Ben-Shlomo Y (eds) (2004) A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Lithell HO, McKeigue PM, Berglund L, Mohsen R, Lithell U, Leon DA (1996) Relation of size at birth to non-insulin dependent diabetes and insulin concentrations in men aged 50–60 years. BMJ 312:406–410

    Google Scholar 

  • Martorell R, Stein A, Schroeder D (2001) Early nutrition and later adiposity. J Nutr 131:874S–880S

    Google Scholar 

  • MHAS (2007) Data and documentation: Mexican Health and Aging Study. Retrieved September 24, 2007 from http://www.mhas.pop.upenn.edu

  • Montes de Oca V (2001) Desigualdad estructural entre la población anciana de México: Factores que han condicio-nado el apoyo institucional entre la población de edad 60 y más. Estudios Demográficos y Urbanos 48:585–614

    Google Scholar 

  • Monteverde M, Noronha K, Palloni A (2008) Effects of early conditions on disability among elderly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Manuscript under review

    Google Scholar 

  • Olaiz G, Rojas R, Barquera S, Shamah T, Aguilar C, Cravioto P, López P, Hernández M, Tapia R, Sepúlveda J (2003) Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2000, Tomo 2. La Salud de los Adultos. Cuernavaca, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública

    Google Scholar 

  • Omran AR (1982) Epidemiologic transition. In international encyclopedia of population. The Free Press, New York, pp 172–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A (2001) Living arrangements of older persons. UN Popul Bull 42/43(Special Issue):54–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, McEniry M (2007) Aging and health status of elderly in Latin America and the Caribbean: Preliminary findings. J Cross Cult Gerontol 22:63–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, McEniry M, Davila AL, Garcia A (2007) Relation of early childhood conditions to health status in the elderly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Manuscript, Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A (2008) Health and life expectancies for Latin America and Caribbean aging populations. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, 16–20 November 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, McEniry M, Wong R, Pelaez M (2006) The tide to come: Elderly health in Latin America and the Caribbean. J Aging Health 18(2):180–206

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, Peláez M (2002) Survey of health and well-being of elders, final report. Pan American Health Organization, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, Pinto-Aguirre G, Peláez M (2002) Demographic and health conditions of aging in Latin America and the Caribbean. Int J Epidemiol 31:762–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, Soldo BJ, Wong R, McEniry M (2003) Health status in a national sample of elderly Mexicans. In Population Association of America 2003 Annual Meeting, May 1–3, 2007. Minneapolis: Population Association of America

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni A, Wyrick R (1981) Mortality decline in Latin America: Changes in the structures of causes of deaths, 1950–1975. Soc Biol 28(3–4):187–216

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker SW, Wong R (2001) Welfare of male and female elderly in Mexico: A comparison. In The Economics of Gender in Mexico, Chap 8. The World Bank, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Partida V (1999) La revolución silenciosa: Descenso de la fecun-didad en México: 1974–1999. In La Situación Demográfica en México. CONAPO, México

    Google Scholar 

  • Partida V (2005) La transición demográfica y el proceso de envejecimiento en México. Papeles de Población, 45:9–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Partida V (2006) Demographic transition, demographic bonus and ageing in Mexico. Proceedings of the United Nations Expert Group Meeting on Social and Economic Implications of Changing Population Age Structures Mexico, D. F.: National Population Council, pp 285–387

    Google Scholar 

  • Popkin BM (1993) Nutritional patterns and transition. Popul Dev Rev 19:138–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Popkin BM (1994) The nutrition transition in low-income countries: An emerging crisis. Nutr Rev 52(9):285–298

    Google Scholar 

  • Popkin BM (2002) The shift in stages of the nutrition transition in the developing world differs from past experiences. Public Health Nutr 5:93–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Power C, Matthews S (1997) Origins of health inequalities in a national population sample. Lancet 350(9091):1584–1589

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PREHCO (2007) Documentation, Puerto Rico: Condiciones de salud de los adultos de edad mayor. Retrieved September 24, 2007 from http://prehco.rcm.upr.edu

  • Preston SH (1976) Mortality patterns in national populations with special reference to recorded causes of death. Academic Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Puentes-Rosas E, Sesma S, Gómez-Dantés O (2005) Estimación de la población con seguro de salud en México mediante una encuesta nacional. Salud Pública de México 47(Suppl 1): S22–S26

    Google Scholar 

  • Reyes-Ortiz CA, Ostir G V, Peláez M, Ottenbacher KJ (2006a) Cross-national comparison of disability in Latin American and Caribbean persons aged 75 and older. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 42:21–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reyes-Ortiz CA, Camacho ME, Amador LF, Velez LF, Otten-bacher K, Markides KS (2006b) Education, literacy, and cancer screening among Latin American and Caribbean older adults. Cancer Control 14:388–395

    Google Scholar 

  • Rivera JA (2004) Nutrition transition in Mexico and other Latin American countries. Nutr Rev 9:149–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rivera JA, Barquera S, Campirano F, Campos I, Safdie M, Tovar V (2002) Epidemiological and nutritional transition in Mexico: Rapid increase of non-communicable chronic diseases and obesity. Public Health Nutr 5(1):113–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruggles S (1996) Living arrangements of the elderly in America. In: Hareven T (ed) Aging and generational relations over the life course: A historical and cross-cultural perspective Walter de Gruyter   Co, New York, pp 254–271

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Arregui L, Castillo-Martínez L, Orea-Tejeda A, Mejía-Arango S, Miguel-Jaimes A (2007) Prevalence of self-reported overweight-obesity and its association with socioeconomic and health factors among older Mexican adults. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 4):S482–S487

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz-Pantoja TE, Ham-Chande R (2007) Factores sociales y salud infantil asociados con la vejez. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 4):S495–S504

    Google Scholar 

  • SABE (2007) Description   citation—study no. 3546: Salud y bienestar en el evejecimiento. Retrieved September 24, 2007 from ww.icpsr.umich.edu/cocoon/NACDA/STUDY/03546.xml"

  • Scrimshaw NS (1997) Nutrition and health from womb to tomb. Food Nutr Bull 18(1):1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaffer RH (2000) The early experience assumption: Past, present, and future. Int J Behav Dev 24(1):5–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schroeder DG, Martorell R, Flores R (1999) Infant and child growth and fatness and fat distribution in Guatemala. Am J Epidemiol 149(2):177–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha T, Yanez M (2007) A decade of government mandated privately run pensions in mexico: What have we learned? In: Kay S, Sinha T (eds) Lessons from pension reform in the americas. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Skoufias E, Davis B, Behrman J (1999) An evaluation of the selection of beneficiary households in the Education, Health, and Nutrition Program (PROGRESA) of Mexico. International Food Policy Research Institutes, Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith JP (1995) Racial and ethnic differences in wealth in the Health and Retirement Study. J Hum Resour 30(5): S158–S183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JP (1999) Healthy bodies and thicker wallets: The dual relation between health and socioeconomic status. J Econ Perspect 13(2):145–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KV, Goldman N (2007) Socioeconomic differences in health among older adults in Mexico. Soc Sci Med 65:1372–1385

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torres JL, Villoro R, Ramírez T, Zurita B, Hernández P, Loz-ano R, Franco F (2003) La salud de la población indígena en México, In: Knaul F, Nigenda G (eds) Caleidoscopio de la Salud. Mexico, D.F.: Fundación Mexicana para la Salud

    Google Scholar 

  • US Bureau of the Census (2000) Table 094, Mid-year Population by Age and Sex, Census Bureau International Data Base: http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb.AccessedFeb2008

  • Vaupel J, Manton K, Stallard E (1979) The impact of heterogeneity in individual frailty on the dynamics of mortality. Demography 16(3):439–454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villalobos A, Rojas R (2007) Consumo de tabaco en México. Resultados de las Encuestas Nacionales de Salud 2000 y 2006. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 2):S147–S154

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R (2003) La relación entre salud y nivel socioeconómico entre adultos mayores: diferencias por género. In Salgado N, Wong R (eds) Envejeciendo en la pobreza. Género, salud y calidad de vida (97–122). México, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, DeGraff D (2009) Old-age wealth in Mexico: The role of early-life reproductive and human capital decisions. Res Aging, forthcoming

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Diaz JJ, Espinoza M (2006) Health care use among elderly Mexicans in the U.S. and in Mexico: the role of health insurance. Res Aging 28(3):393–408. (DOI) 10.1177/0164027505285922

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Díaz JJ (2007) Health care utilization among older Mexicans: Health and socioeconomic inequalities. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 4):S505–S514

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Espinoza M (2003) Ingreso y bienes de la población de edad media y avanzada en México (Income and assets of population in middle- and old-age in Mexico). Papeles de Población 37:129–166

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Espinoza M, Palloni A (2007) Adultos mayores mexicanos en contexto socioeconómico amplio: Salud y envejecimiento. Salud Pública de México 49(Suppl 4): S436–S447

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Figueroa ME (1999) Morbilidad y utilización de servi-cios de salud entre población de edad avanzada: Un análisis comparative (Morbidity and use of health services among the elderly: A comparative analysis). Papeles de Población 5(19):103–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Higgins M (2007) Dynamics of intergenerational assistance in middle- and old-age in Mexico. In: Angel J, Whitfield KE (eds) The health of aging Hispanics: The Mexican origin population, Springer Publications, New York, pp 99–120

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Palloni A (2006) Health transitions among older adults in Mexico: A couples approach. Paper presented at the population association of america meetings. Los Angeles, California, April

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Ofstedal MB, Agree E, Yount K (2008) Unhealthy lifestyles among older adults: Exploring transitions in Mexico and the U.S. Eur J Ageing 5:311–326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Peláez M, Palloni A (2005) Self-reported global health among older adults in Latin America and the Caribbean: Usefulness of the indicador. Panam J Public Health 17(5/6):323–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Peláez M, Palloni A, Markides K (2006) Survey data for the study of aging in Latin America and the Caribbean – selected studies. J Aging Health 18(2):157–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong R, Palloni A, Soldo BJ (2007) Wealth in middle- and old-age: The role of international migration in Mexico. Int Migr Rev 41(1):127–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ybáñez-Zepeda E, Vargas-Valle ED, Torres JL (2005) Facto-res asociados a la corresidencia de los adultos mayores de 50 años por condición rural-urbana. Papeles de Población 45:29–48

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX, USA

    Rebeca Wong

  2. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Alberto Palloni

Authors
  1. Rebeca Wong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alberto Palloni
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina Hamilton Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3210, CB 3210, USA

    Peter Uhlenberg

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wong, R., Palloni, A. (2009). Aging in Mexico and Latin America. In: Uhlenberg, P. (eds) International Handbook of Population Aging. International Handbooks of Population, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8356-3_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation