Trading years for perfect health: results from the health and retirement study.

TitleTrading years for perfect health: results from the health and retirement study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2010
AuthorsAyalon, L, King-Kallimanis, BL
JournalJ Aging Health
Volume22
Issue8
Pagination1184-97
Date Published2010 Dec
ISSN Number1552-6887
KeywordsActivities of Daily Living, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Community Participation, Confidence Intervals, Culture, Epidemiologic Methods, ethnicity, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Longevity, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Psychometrics, Retirement, Self Report, Surveys and Questionnaires, Time Factors
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the preferences of an ethnically diverse national sample of older Americans regarding length of life versus health quality.

METHOD: A time trade-off task administered as part of the 2002 wave of the Health and Retirement Study.

RESULTS: Respondents equated 6.86 (SD = 3.46) years of perfect health with 10 years of life in imperfect health. Women and those who ranked their health less favorably were more likely to give up years of life for perfect health. Relative to Whites, Blacks were more willing to live longer in imperfect health. Those of lower levels of education were more likely to prefer 10 years of life in imperfect health.

DISCUSSION: There is wide variability in responses to the time trade-off task that is partially associated with self-rated health, gender, ethnicity, and education.

DOI10.1177/0898264310371980
User Guide Notes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20660638?dopt=Abstract

Endnote Keywords

SELF-RATED HEALTH/demographics/GENDER/imperfect health

Endnote ID

22960

Alternate JournalJ Aging Health
Citation Key7475
PubMed ID20660638
Grant ListU01AG009740 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States