Mortality measurement
This theme encompasses macro and micro analyses, and descriptive and causal analyses. Several ongoing research studies fall under this theme: The Human Mortality Database , CenSoc, the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES). Others are pilot projects of shorter duration.
Biodemography of Aging
The biodemography of aging encompasses genetic and epigenetic effects on biodemography, evolutionary theory, and biodemographic mechanisms underlying decision-making; biological experiments; genomic analysis; data building.
Policy and behavioral determinants of adult population health
A large fraction of premature adult mortality is attributable to unhealthy behaviors, including smoking and other substance abuse, as well as harder to measure autonomic stress responses; there are also large mortality and health benefits of increased healthy behaviors such as exercise, including potential prevention or delayed onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD). Thus an important ongoing focus of CEDA is understanding the behavioral and ultimately health effects of key economic policies, which in turn requires fundamental understanding of human behavior across the life course.
Macro consequences of global aging
This theme finds expression through ongoing work on generational accounting, life cycle planning, demographic transition, and demographic dividends; stochastic Social Security projections, Federal/State/Local budget projections, microsimulation projections, macro-stochastic simulation to assess new pension structures, and mortality forecasting.