Editorial: Introducing the 2013 volume of epidemiologic reviews on aging

摘要

Over the past several decades, from 1935 to 2010, death rates have decreased by 60% in the United States after accounting for the aging of the population (1). Decreases in mortality rates have resulted in dramatic increases in the population of older adults (those >=65 years of age), from , about 3 million at the turn of the 20th century to over 40 million in 2010 (2). By 2050, the number of Americans 65 years of age or older is projected to more than double to 88.5 million. The baby boomers are driving this increase, with the first of them crossing over the age of 65 years in 2011. Of these 88.5 million older people, 19 minion will be 85 years of age or older (2). How do these demographic changes affect the nation's public health? An estimated 5.2 million older Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and incidence rates are projected to double by 2050 (3). Among Americans, the rate of mobility disability increased between 1998 and 2006 (4). Long-term care expenditures doubled between 1990 and 2001, reaching $132 billion, and public financing of long-term care is projected to increase 20%-21% by 2020 (5).