Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios
The standard approach for comparing the potential challenges of population aging across countries based on conventional old-age dependency ratios (OADR) does not account for cross-population differences in health, functional capacity or disability, despite their importance for labor force participat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-08-01
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| Series: | SSM: Population Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827319304033 |
| _version_ | 1818195624495939584 |
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| author | Fabrice Kämpfen Iliana V. Kohler Mamadou Bountogo James Mwera Hans-Peter Kohler Jürgen Maurer |
| author_facet | Fabrice Kämpfen Iliana V. Kohler Mamadou Bountogo James Mwera Hans-Peter Kohler Jürgen Maurer |
| author_sort | Fabrice Kämpfen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The standard approach for comparing the potential challenges of population aging across countries based on conventional old-age dependency ratios (OADR) does not account for cross-population differences in health, functional capacity or disability, despite their importance for labor force participation and dependency more broadly. We investigate how OADRs observed across selected low-, middle-, and high-income countries change if population differences in physical health measured by hand-grip strength are accounted for. Specifically, we propose and calculate an adjusted measure of the OADR based on hand-grip strength, which serves as an objective indicator of muscle function and has been shown to predict future morbidity, disability and mortality. We show that adjusting the OADR for differences in hand-grip strength results in substantial changes in country rankings by OADR compared to a ranking based on the conventional OADR definition. Accounting for cross-population differences in hand-grip strength, the estimated OADRs for low- and middle-income countries tend to increase compared to the conventional OADR approach based on age only, whereas the estimated OADRs in high-income countries decline substantially relative to the standard approach. Since hand-grip strength is an important prerequisite for maintaining functional capacity and productivity and preventing disability –especially in economies in low-income settings– our grip-strength-adjusted OADRs clearly show that population aging is not just a challenge in high-income countries but also an important concern for economies in the developing world. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T01:21:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-76886df81d88403aba54dd1532c180f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-8273 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T01:21:09Z |
| publishDate | 2020-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Population Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-76886df81d88403aba54dd1532c180f02022-12-22T00:43:13ZengElsevierSSM: Population Health2352-82732020-08-0111100579Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratiosFabrice Kämpfen0Iliana V. Kohler1Mamadou Bountogo2James Mwera3Hans-Peter Kohler4Jürgen Maurer5Department of Economics, HEC, University of Lausanne, Switzerland; Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, United States; Corresponding author. Department of Economics, HEC, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, United StatesCentre de Recherche en Santé de Nouna, Nouna, Boucle du Mouhoun, Burkina FasoInvest in Knowledge Initiative (IKI), Zomba, MalawiPopulation Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania, PA, United StatesDepartment of Economics, HEC, University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandThe standard approach for comparing the potential challenges of population aging across countries based on conventional old-age dependency ratios (OADR) does not account for cross-population differences in health, functional capacity or disability, despite their importance for labor force participation and dependency more broadly. We investigate how OADRs observed across selected low-, middle-, and high-income countries change if population differences in physical health measured by hand-grip strength are accounted for. Specifically, we propose and calculate an adjusted measure of the OADR based on hand-grip strength, which serves as an objective indicator of muscle function and has been shown to predict future morbidity, disability and mortality. We show that adjusting the OADR for differences in hand-grip strength results in substantial changes in country rankings by OADR compared to a ranking based on the conventional OADR definition. Accounting for cross-population differences in hand-grip strength, the estimated OADRs for low- and middle-income countries tend to increase compared to the conventional OADR approach based on age only, whereas the estimated OADRs in high-income countries decline substantially relative to the standard approach. Since hand-grip strength is an important prerequisite for maintaining functional capacity and productivity and preventing disability –especially in economies in low-income settings– our grip-strength-adjusted OADRs clearly show that population aging is not just a challenge in high-income countries but also an important concern for economies in the developing world.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827319304033Old-age dependency ratioHand-grip strengthPhysical healthAge/cohort profile of workCross-country comparisons |
| spellingShingle | Fabrice Kämpfen Iliana V. Kohler Mamadou Bountogo James Mwera Hans-Peter Kohler Jürgen Maurer Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios SSM: Population Health Old-age dependency ratio Hand-grip strength Physical health Age/cohort profile of work Cross-country comparisons |
| title | Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios |
| title_full | Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios |
| title_fullStr | Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios |
| title_short | Using grip strength to compute physical health-adjusted old age dependency ratios |
| title_sort | using grip strength to compute physical health adjusted old age dependency ratios |
| topic | Old-age dependency ratio Hand-grip strength Physical health Age/cohort profile of work Cross-country comparisons |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827319304033 |
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