Program Area: Behavioral and Social Sciences

Aging in Cross-National Contexts

Chair(s)

• JA

  Jennifer Ailshire, PhD, FGSA

  Associate Professor
  School of Gerontology
  University of Southern California
  Los Angeles, California, United States

Discussant(s)

• 

  Eunyoung Choi, PhD

  Postdoctoral Associate
  Gerontology
  School of Global Public Health, New York University
  Los Angeles, California, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• 

  Joshua Ehrlich, MD, MPH

  Assistant Professor
  Institute for Social Research; Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
  University of Michigan
  Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
• BS

  Benjamin Seligman, MD, PhD

  Clinical Instructor
  Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine
  David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  Los Angeles, California, United States
• 

  Ruijia Chen, ScD

  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Epidemiology and Biostatistics
  University of California, San Francisco
  San Francisco, California, United States
• CM

  Christine Mair, PhD

  Associate Professor
  Department of Sociology, Anthropology, & Public Health
  University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Cross-national comparative research is a useful tool for identifying common aspects of, and risk factors for, healthy and unhealthy aging across populations and sociocultural contexts. The papers in this symposium use harmonized data from the Gateway to Global Aging to examine a range of topics in aging and provide new insights into long-standing and emerging questions in aging research. Using data on 31 countries, Ehrlich estimates the population attributable fraction of dementia due to vision impairment, a treatable and thus potentially viable target for interventions to slow progression to dementia. Seligman et al., use a frailty index validated in multiple countries to provide new evidence for which aspects of socioeconomic status (SES) – education, income, rural residence – are most strongly linked to frailty in Brazil, China, and India, three highly populated and rapidly aging countries. Using recent harmonized data on stress, Chen et al. examine the association between cumulative social stressors and cognitive function trajectories in the US and UK, finding interesting patterns in the relationship with status and change over time. Finally, several harmonized aging studies collected data throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and Mair et al., take advantage of this to gain insights into how family structure impacted experiences of loneliness among older adults during the pandemic in the U.S. and across Europe. The papers in this symposium demonstrate the tremendous potential for using cross-national comparisons to deepen our understanding of health and well-being among older adults.

Presentations:

• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Vision Impairment in a Global Life Course Model of Potentially Modifiable Dementia Risk Factors
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Joshua Ehrlich, MD, MPH – University of Michigan
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Frailty and Socioeconomic Status in Brazil, China, and India
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Benjamin Seligman, MD, PhD – David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Associations Between Cumulative Stress and Cognitive Function in HRS and ELSA
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ruijia Chen, ScD – University of California, San Francisco
• 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM ET

  Unpartnered and Childless Older Adults' Risk of Loneliness During COVID-19 by Country Context
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Christine A. Mair, PhD – University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)