Less Is (Often) More: Number of Children and Health Among Older Adults in 24 Countries.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Previous evidence about the impact of parenthood on health for older adults is mixed, perhaps due to variation in number of children and context. Higher numbers of children could lead to support or strain, depending on individual and country contexts. Yet, no studies currently exist that examine associations between the number of children and several health indicators among older adults across multiple global regions.

Methods

We analyze cross-sectional data (1992-2017) of 166,739 adults aged 50+ across 24 countries from the Health and Retirement Study family of surveys to document associations between the number of children, treated as a categorical variable, and 5 health outcomes (self-rated health, activities of daily living limitations, instrumental activities

SUBMITTER: Antczak R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10645313 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature