Do Childhood Conditions Predict Survival to Supercentenarian-Hood?

Leslie F. Stone, University of Pennsylvania

Is there a link between socioeconomic circumstances experienced in childhood and survival to extreme old age (110+) in the U.S.? This study has two parts: First, to consider which childhood conditions predict survival to age 110. Second, to consider whether those variables retain their predictive importance beyond age 85. Among survivors to age 85, are childhood conditions associated with survival to age 110? What makes supercentenarians distinct from others in their birth cohort in general, and from those reaching age 85? Using Social Security data, supercentenarians dying between 1980-1999 are searched for as children in the 1880 and 1900 Censuses. Using a quasi case-control approach, successful links are matched by age, race, and sex to controls drawn from the corresponding Census public use samples. Part two compares supercentenarians to members of their approximate birth cohort who reached at least age 85 to explore the strength of associations after age 85.