HEALTH AND WELL BEING AMONG OLDER-OLD US AND JAPAN

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DESCRIPTION (adapted from investigator's abstract): This research seeks to examine the cross cultural differences in the dynamic linkages among social relations, financial well-being, and health status among the older-old (i.e., 70 years of age or over). Using longitudinal data collected in the U.S. and Japan, this study aims to: (1) further understand t he mechanism underlying the relationship between social relations and health by examining the role of financial well-being; (2) assess the consequences of health changes on social support and financial well-being; (3) examine long-term changes in health status; and (4) contrast the similarities and differences in the aforementioned linkages between the U.S. and Japan. The proposed research strategies include causal modeling, a combination of primary and secondary data analysis, a cross-cultural comparative design, and a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative approaches. In particular, data on the American elderly will come from three NIA- supported panel studies conducted by investigators at the University of Michigan. These include the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), the American changing Lives (ACL), and Well-Being Among the Aged: Personal Control and Self-Esteem. IN Japan, data will come from a 2-wave design will be built upon a 4-wave longitudinal data base currently in place. The survey data will be complemented by a variety of qualitative data collected by using random probe and in-depth interviews. This research is an outgrowth of the collaboration initiated in 1986 by the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology (M/IoG) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG). The responsibility of financing will be shared by these two institutions. Finally, in addition to being analyzed by the research team, data will be provided to the research community in a timely fashion for further analysis, hence maximizing the productivity of this operation.