This stimulating, carefully-researched book on The Late Life Legacy of Very Early Life by Dr. Gabriele Doblhammer is the second volume of a new series of Demographic Research Monographs published by Springer Verlag. The topic of the book is fascinating. Is a person's lifespan influ- enced by health and nutrition in-utero and shortly after birth? If so, why? The answers uncovered by the diligence, demographic and statistical ex- pertise, and probing intelligence of the author are surprising but convinc- ing. To pry open the mystery of the lingering impact of very early life, Dr. Doblharnmer...

This stimulating, carefully-researched book on The Late Life Legacy of Very Early Life by Dr. Gabriele Doblhammer is the second volume of a new series of Demographic Research Monographs published by Springer Verlag. The topic of the book is fascinating. Is a person's lifespan influ- enced by health and nutrition in-utero and shortly after birth? If so, why? The answers uncovered by the diligence, demographic and statistical ex- pertise, and probing intelligence of the author are surprising but convinc- ing. To pry open the mystery of the lingering impact of very early life, Dr. Doblharnmer...

Steadily increasing life expectancy is one of the great achievements of industrialised societies over the last century. Life expectancy has not only been growing among the young and those reaching retirement age, but also, especially in recent decades, among people ages 80 and above. These improvements in life expectancy have led to the emergence of the so-called third age, when people retire, but are still you- ful, healthy and able to participate in society. Nevertheless, closer to the end of life, a fourth age of decrepitude and dependence on others has to be anticipated. - spite the...

Whether increasing life expectancy leads to better health remains still controversial. Three topics are explored: (1) vanguard groups which inform about possible levels of health if the general social and environmental conditions were to approach those of the vanguard group; (2) the social and behavioral determinants of health differentiated into proximal and distal factors; (3) vulnerable groups such as migrants and the health differences between migrant groups. Newly available population-based data as well as new study designs and advanced statistical modelling form the basis for the...