Strengthening the Scientific Foundation
for Policymaking to Meet the Challenges of
Aging in Latin America
and the Caribbean
Summary of a Workshop
Kevin Kinsella, Rapporteur
Steering Committee for the Workshop on Strengthening the
Scientific Foundation for Policymaking to Meet the Challenges
of Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean
Committee on Population
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, DC
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. This activity was supported by an unnumbered award from the Inter-American Development Bank and the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health through Contract No. HHSN26300046.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-37804-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-37804-4
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2015). Strengthening the Scientific Foundation for Policymaking to Meet the Challenges of Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean: Summary of a Workshop, K. Kinsella, Rapporteur, Steering Committee for the Workshop on Strengthening the Scientific Foundation for Policymaking to Meet the Challenges of Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean. Committee on Population, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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STEERING COMMITTEE FOR THE WORKSHOP ON
STRENGTHENING THE SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION
FOR POLICYMAKING TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF
AGING IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
DAVID WEIR (Cochair), Survey Research Center and Population Studies Center, University of Michigan
REBECA WONG (Cochair), Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch
JERE BEHRMAN, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania
DAVID BRAVO, Centre for Longitudinal Studies and Surveys, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago
CESAR DE OLIVEIRA, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
WILLIAM DOW, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
LUIS MIGUEL GUTIÉRREZ ROBLEDO, National Institute of Geriatrics, Mexico
ENRIQUE VEGA GARCIA, Aging and Health, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization
KEVIN KINSELLA, Staff Officer
MARY GHITELMAN, Senior Program Assistant
COMMITTEE ON POPULATION
2015
KATHLEEN MULLAN HARRIS (Chair), Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
JERE R. BEHRMAN, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania
VICKI A. FREEDMAN, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
MARK D. HAYWARD, Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin
HILLARD S. KAPLAN, Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico
SARA S. McLANAHAN, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University
EMILIO A. PARRADO, Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
DAVID R. WEIR, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
JOHN R. WILMOTH, Population Division/DESA, United Nations
THOMAS J. PLEWES, Director
TINA M. LATIMER, Program Coordinator
Acknowledgments
This report summarizes the proceedings of a workshop convened in May 2015 to consider priorities for strengthening the scientific foundation for policymaking regarding population aging in Latin America and the Caribbean. The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Mexican National Academy of Medicine, with additional financial and/or logistical support provided by the University of Texas Medical Branch, the University of Michigan, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization. The meeting was convened in Mexico City by the Mexican National Academy of Medicine.
The workshop was organized by an eight-member steering committee composed of experts in the fields of economics, demography, population health, and survey research. The committee provided indispensable guidance in developing the workshop agenda, securing expert presentations, and facilitating the conduct of the workshop. The committee would like to thank Enrique Graue Weichers, president of the Mexican National Academy of Medicine, and Eduardo Sojo Garza-Aldape, president of the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography, for their remarks during the workshop’s opening session. The committee also extends thanks to NIA staff member Georgeanne Patmios for her opening remarks and planning meeting input prior to the workshop; to Olivia Mitchell, University of Pennsylvania, for chairing a workshop session; and to Alberto Palloni, University of Wisconsin, for his prior involvement in and development of
this project. Although the steering committee members played a central role throughout, they did not actively participate in writing this summary.
The presentations during the workshop provided the basis for lively and informative discussions. We greatly appreciate the contributions of Emma Aguila, Cecilia Albala, Soham Al-Snih, David Bravo, Maria Teresa Calzada, Carlos Cano, Somnath Chatterji, Eileen Crimmins, Carmen Garcia-Peña, Luis Miguel Gutiérrez, Roberto Ham Chande, Maria Fernanda Lima-Costa, Rafael Lozano, Timothy Miller, Luis Rosero-Bixby, Paulo Saad, Rafael Samper-Ternent, James Smith, Florencia Torche, Cassio Turra, Victor Garcia Vilchis, and Rebeca Wong.
The steering committee acknowledges the work of the staff of several organizations in planning and executing the workshop. We are especially grateful to Angelica Carmona, Mexican National Institute of Geriatrics, for handling the myriad logistical arrangements and for ensuring a smooth meeting process. We thank Adrienne Mitchell, University of Texas Medical Branch; Linda Castagnola and Jenny Valencia, Pan American Health Organization; and Mary Cheatham and Catherine Liebowitz, University of Michigan, for assisting with travel arrangements. Within the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the Academies), we thank Thomas Plewes, director of the Committee on Population, who provided overall direction and guidance for the project. Mary Ghitelman provided invaluable assistance with many aspects of the project, including logistical details and report preparation. Kevin Kinsella assisted with organizing the steering committee and setting the agenda for the study and served as rapporteur for the workshop. Paula Whitacre edited the report, Kirsten Sampson Snyder orchestrated the review process, and Yvonne Wise managed the production process.
This workshop summary has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the Report Review Committee of the Academies. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making its report as sound as possible, and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We thank the following individuals for their review of this report: Soham Al Snih, Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston; Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez, Demography of Health and Aging, University of Wisconsin; William Dow,
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley; and Paulo Saad, El Centro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Demografía (CELADE), División de Población de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the report, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Mark D. Hayward, Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin. Appointed by the Academies, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the author and the institution.
David Weir and Rebeca Wong, Cochairs
Steering Committee for the Workshop on
Strengthening the Scientific Foundation
for Policymaking to Meet the Challenges of
Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Contents
2 AGING IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN IN GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Health and Health Care Challenges with Population Aging
Data Needs for Aging in Latin America
3 HEALTH STATUS, DISABILITY, AND MORTALITY
Mortality Trends and Differentials in Costa Rica
Trajectories of Health from the Mexican Health and Aging Study
Health Inequalities and the Design of the ELSI-Brazil Study
4 HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS, ACCESS, AND QUALITY
Building the Evidence Base for Health Reform
Depression and Health Care Services
Adapting Health Care Systems to Serve the Needs of the Frail Elderly
5 LABOR MARKET PARTICIPATION/RETIREMENT
The Longitudinal Study of Social Protection in Chile
Pension Systems in Latin America
Fertility Decline and Changing Living Arrangements
Social Mobility Across Generations in Latin America
Rapid Social Changes and Implications for Aging
7 RESILIENCE AND ASPECTS OF WELL-BEING IN OLDER AGE
Biomarkers and Undiagnosed Disease
8 OPPORTUNITIES TO GENERATE EVIDENCE ON OLDER ADULTS AND MOVE THE RESEARCH AGENDA FORWARD
