Prevalence of unmet health care need in older adults in 83 countries: measuring progressing towards universal health coverage in the context of global population ageing.

Current measures for monitoring progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) do not adequately account for populations that do not have the same level of access to quality care services and/or financial protection to cover health expenses for when care is accessed. This gap in accounting for unmet health care needs may contribute to underutilization of needed services or widening inequalities. Asking people whether or not their needs for health care have been met, as part of a household survey, is a pragmatic way of capturing this information.

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

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.

Associations between Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Maternal Diet Quality.

Background: An objective of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is to improve maternal diet quality, but its effectiveness remains unclear. Better understanding how WIC participation shapes women's diet quality is crucial given that maternal diet plays a critical role in determining mothers' and children's short- and long-term overall health.

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the diet quality of WIC-participating women to WIC-eligible nonparticipating women and higher-income pregnant and postpartum women using a nationally representative sample.

Neighborhood socioeconomic position, living arrangements, and cardiometabolic disease among older Puerto Ricans: An examination using PREHCO 2002-2007.

Cardiometabolic diseases are among the leading causes of mortality worldwide and are increasingly prevalent in rapidly aging populations. Neighborhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and living arrangements are increasingly recognized as important determinants of cardiometabolic health but have not been examined within Puerto Rico. This study examined the association between neighborhood SEP, living arrangements, and incidence of cardiometabolic conditions among island-dwelling older Puerto Ricans, using longitudinal data from the Puerto Rican Elderly Health Conditions Project (Waves I 2002/03 and II 2006/07) linked with 2000 Census data for neighborhood-level conditions.

Wealth inequalities in physical and cognitive impairments across Japan and Europe: the role of health expenditure and infrastructure.

Although prior research has provided insights into the association between country-level factors and health inequalities, key research gaps remain. First, most previous studies examine subjective rather than objective health measures. Second, the wealth dimension in health inequalities is understudied.

Socioeconomic differences in informal caregiving in Europe.

Disclosing socioeconomic differences in informal care provision is increasingly important in aging societies as it helps to identify the segments of the population that may need targeted support and the types of national investments to support family caregivers. This study examines the association between individual-level socioeconomic status and informal care provision within the household. We also examine the role of contextual factors, income inequality, and the generosity of social spending, to identify how macro-level socioeconomic resource structures shape individuals' provision of care to household members.

Loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic-are unpartnered and childless older adults at higher risk?

Unlabelled: COVID-19 mitigation efforts had the potential to exacerbate loneliness among older adults, particularly for the unpartnered or childless, yet specific studies on loneliness among these groups during the COVID-19 pandemic are lacking. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) collected before (October 2019-March 2020) and during the pandemic (June-August 2020), we examine two loneliness outcomes: (1) "have you felt lonely recently?" (both datasets) and (2) "have you felt lonelier than before the pandemic?" (2020), and examine differences by partnership and parenthood status. Before COVID-19, those who lacked one tie but had the other (unpartnered parents or partnered childless) were at highest loneliness risk.

Living Arrangements and Intergenerational Support in Puerto Rico: Are Fathers Disadvantaged?

Objectives: To examine how intergenerational support varies by parents' living arrangements and whether there are gender differences in received support in Puerto Rico.

Methods: Data come from the 2006-2007 Puerto Rican Elderly and Health Conditions Project, a representative longitudinal study of adults aged 60 and older in Puerto Rico (n = 2,288). We examined the association between parents' living arrangements (alone, with spouse/partner only, with children) and their receipt of functional (help with errands/housework/transport) and health (help when sick) support from children, and whether parents' gender moderates the association.

Coresidence increases the risk of testing positive for COVID-19 among older Brazilians.

Background: Brazil is among the countries hit hardest by COVID-19, and older adults are among the vulnerable groups. Intergenerational coresidence and interdependence among family members, both prevalent in Brazil, likely increase social and physical contact and thus potential infection.

Methods: Using nationally representative data from the COVID-19 module of the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios), collected between July and November of 2020, we examined the association between living arrangements and exposure to and testing for COVID-19 among 63,816 Brazilians aged 60 years and older.

Partner Care Arrangements and Well-Being in Mid- and Later Life: The Role of Gender Across Care Contexts.

Objectives: We assess gender moderation in the association between partner care arrangements and individuals' well-being, and the extent to which gender differences vary across European care contexts.

Methods: We use 2015 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe for 3,465 couples aged 50+, where at least 1 partner receives care. We assess gender differences in individuals' life satisfaction and depressive symptoms across 5 partner care arrangements: solo-; shared formal; shared informal; outsourced formal; and outsourced informal care.

Socioeconomic inequalities in the wellbeing of informal caregivers across Europe.

Objectives: Due to increasing care needs and decreasing care potentials, research around informal caregiving gains attention. Relatively new - but of utmost importance - is the role of socioeconomic inequalities in care and wellbeing. Although caregiving can be rewarding, a growing body of research shows that informal caregiving often has negative consequences for individuals' wellbeing.

[Changes in well-being and private support for older people: a closer look at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in early summer 2020].

Background: The pilot study "Health and Support in Times of Corona" (TU Dortmund University) collected data on support and well-being of individuals aged 40 plus years in the light of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic from May to July 2020.

Objective: The aim was to study the social and mental effects of the pandemic. We focused on individuals living in private households aged 40 years and older.

Childlessness and Health Among Older Adults: Variation Across Five Outcomes and 20 Countries.

Objectives: No previous study to the best of our knowledge has examined the association between childlessness and health using a wide range of countries and health outcomes. This study improves previous literature by examining the relationship between "childlessness" (1 = childless for any reason, 0 = parent of biological, step, or adopted child) and health across 20 countries and five health outcomes.

Methods: Drawing on cross-sectional harmonized data from the family of Health and Retirement Surveys across the United States (HRS, Wave 11), Europe (SHARE, Waves 4 and 5), Mexico (MHAS, Wave 3), and China (CHARLS, Wave 2), we use logistic regression models to estimate the association between childlessness and poor health (poor self-rated health, 1 or more ADL limitations, 1 or more IADL limitations, 1 or more chronic conditions, and depression) in a sample of adults aged 50 and older across 20 countries (N = 109,648).

Functional Measures of Sarcopenia: Prevalence, and Associations with Functional Disability in 10,892 Adults Aged 65 Years and Over from Six Lower- and Middle-Income Countries.

Identification of sarcopenia in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited by access to technologies that assess muscle mass. We investigated associations between two functional measures of sarcopenia, grip strength and gait speed (GS), with functional disability in adults from six LMICs. Data were extracted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health Wave 1 (2007-2010) for adults (≥ 65 years) from China, Mexico, Ghana, India, Russia and South Africa (n = 10,892, 52.

Prevalence of angina and co-morbid conditions among older adults in six low- and middle-income countries: Evidence from SAGE Wave 1.

Background: Global commitments to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden by 2025 will require data on CVDs from lower income countries. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of angina, and its association with hypertension, diabetes, and depression, in six low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 1 from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa were utilized.

Rural-urban gaps in health care utilization among older Thais: The role of family support.

This study examined rural-urban differences in health visits among older Thais utilizing Andersen's model. Data were drawn from the 2011 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand of adults 50 years and older (N = 56,435). Logistic regression models examine individuals' predisposing, enabling, and health need factors for explaining older adults' health care use.

Preparations for Old Age and Well-Being in Later Life in Thailand: Gender Matters?

Data from the 2011 Survey of Older Persons in Thailand examines the association between preparations for old age (financial, health, caregiving, living arrangements, and spiritual) and three measures of well-being: financial satisfaction, life satisfaction, and physical health. The study further explores the role of social stratification and the gendered nature of these relationships. The sample ( N = 10,235) is restricted to adults 60 years and above, who are retired and answered the survey independently.

Who supports whom? Gender and intergenerational transfers in post-industrial Barbados.

This study examines the likelihood that older adults and their children in Bridgetown, Barbados engage in exchanges of financial, functional, and material support and the extent to which gender influences transfers. Data come from the 2000 Survey of Health, Well-Being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE) of Bridgetown, Barbados N = 3876 children, representing 1135 families. Multivariate logistic regression models examine the demographic and economic situations of both older and younger cohorts that encourage or constrain intergenerational exchanges.