Interdisciplinary Perspectives Linking Individual, Family, And Population Health Over Time
Our research on population health integrates demography with the fields of health services research, epidemiology, gerontology, economics, sociology, psychology, biology, nutrition, and medicine. Much of this work is grounded in a life-course perspective. Research during the past decade has revealed strong associations between adult health and earlier life experiences. There is clear empirical evidence of the intergenerational transmission of family genetic traits, values and attitudes, behaviors and resources. A second defining feature of this program of work is attention to the interplay of micro and macro processes. Individual and family histories are affected by and contribute to population histories in ways that profoundly affect the health of communities and nations. PRI research on health can be grouped into four broad categories: (1) Demographic Trends and Family Processes, (2) Health Disparities, (3) Women's Health, and (4) Biodemography of Health.
Demographic Trends and Family Processes: What are their implications for future health patterns?
Basic demographic trends--aging, changing disease prevalence, geographic mobility, urbanization--will have a substantial bearing on future health patterns. A first responsibility of the demographic research community is to provide accurate and revealing assessments of future demographic prospects. PRI researchers have developed multi-state methods that can be used to project population trends in aging, mortality, and health. In ongoing research, they are considering the demographic implications of major health events and trends. The Center for Population Health and Aging (CPHA) is the locus for PRI research on aging. The CPHA provides a synergistic environment for the development of innovative interdisciplinary research on the societal consequences of a growing and increasingly diverse older population.
Researchers working in this area include:
- Duane Alwin
- Gordon De Jong
- Deborah Graefe
- Peter Kemper
- Valarie King
- Robert Schoen
- Dennis Shea
- Pamela Farley Short
- James Wood
- Linda Wray
Health Disparities: What are the causes of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities?
Empirical research has consistently demonstrated that: (1) the socioeconomically disadvantaged have an increased risk of mortality and morbidity, have limited access to health care, and exhibit less healthy behavior; (2) females and non-whites are also disadvantaged; and (3) such disparities observed within the U.S. are part of a larger pattern of disparity on a global scale. A number of assessments have concluded that disparities have widened in recent decades--within the U.S., within other industrialized nations, and globally.
Researchers working in this area include:
- Duane Alwin
- Francis Dodoo
- Deborah Graefe
- Marianne Hillemeier
- David Johnson
- Gary King
- Dennis Shea
- Pamela Farley Short
- Robin Taylor Wilson
- Linda Wray
Women's Health: What factors--gender-specific and otherwise--determine the health of women and their children?
The women's health research agenda has undergone a major transformation since 1990, as has the definition of "women's health." It is now well-recognized that women's health is complex, involving multiple systems and influences from the molecular/genetic to the social system level. As a consequence, understanding women's health requires a life course perspective rather than viewing it in isolated stages (e.g., puberty, pregnancy, menopause, old age).
Researchers working in this area include:
Biodemography of Health: How do genetic processes interrelate with demographic variables to influence health trajectories?
Researchers working in this area include:
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