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Following a long period of careful preparation and groundwork, the Center for Population Economics submitted a proposal on June 1 of this year to extend funding from April 2007 through March 2012 for the Early Indicators of Later Work Levels, Disease and Death program project. The Early Indicators project, the heart of the research conducted by the CPE, was initially funded in 1991 by a three-year grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIA/NIH) to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). CPE director Robert Fogel is principal investigator of the grant. Activities in Chicago are supported by a subcontract to the University of Chicago. In 1994, Early Indicators was for funded for an additional five years. The next renewal was not as successful, but it came close enough that the NIA/NIH provided bridge funding until a strong revised proposal could be submitted in February 2001. That application resulted in a five-year grant that concluded at the end of August 2006. If continuation funds are awarded, by 2012, the project will be finishing its 18th NIN-funded year. The 2006 application includes four new scientific projects, listed below, along with the traditional four cores, which have been updated to support the new research activities. Project Leader Title 1. Lee, Chulhee Disparities in Socioeconomic Status and Health across the Life-Course 2. Costa, Dora Changes in Mortality and Health Trajectories at Older Ages 3. Fogel, Robert The Impact of Urban Disparities on Aging and Mortality 4. Fogel, Robert The Impact of Urban and Rural Environments on the Process of Aging |
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According to Fogel, “While this renewal is built on a foundation of past research, it reflects several important new findings that will take this research project in new directions, provide substantial insights into the causes of the 20th century decline in disabilities, and provide a firmer basis for forecasting the course of health and longevity in coming decades for both rich and Third World countries.” Joey Burton, CPE managing director of research, adds, “The new grant application extends Early Indicators research on the contribution of early-life factors to the aging process. Specifically, the impact of environment and changes in the environment during childhood on later-life aging and disability will be studied. Additionally, the early-life causes of extreme longevity will be examined. The Union Army sample, the focus of past grants, will be extended to include samples of urban Union Army veterans and veterans who lived into extreme old age.” |