Life Expectancy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7076569 |
|---|---|
| Authors | T A Bruckner (0000-0002-6927-964X, University of California, Irvine, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Pages | 1-4 |
| Publication date | 2016-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | OTHER |
| Venue | The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/9781405165518.wbeos0803 |
| OpenAlex | W4251025219 |
| ISBN | 9781405165518 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
Life expectancy measures the mean age of death for a specified population. Scientists use this summary measure to test hypotheses regarding causes of population health and to compare the mortality experience across regions, defined subgroups, and time. A life table, which includes age‐specific death rates over the entire life course, provides the key measurements to estimate life expectancy. In countries with reliable data, life expectancy shows an upward trend from 1850 onward. Scholars attribute this increase to two processes: the decline in the burden of infectious diseases and infant mortality (1850–1950), and, from 1950 onward, the subsequent reduction of mortality rates at older ages. The unabated increase in period life expectancy in most countries since 1950 has led to much theoretical and empirical research regarding the future of human lifespan. Much research also focuses on identifying the causes of divergent life expectancies across countries, racial–ethnic groups, and males and females
Ethnic group · Expectancy theory · Life expectancy · Life table · Longevity · Mortality rate · Population · Sociology · Demography · Global Health Care Issues · Health disparities and outcomes · Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |