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Height and survival at older ages: the case of Villagrande Strisaili conscripts, 1866-1915
No full textThe present contribution investigated the relationship between individual height and survival
at older ages among conscripts of Villagrande Strisaili: a village of in-land Sardinia. Survival
information gathered from Villagrande Longevity Database (VILD) was linked to data
collected from military matriculate registers. In this manner individual age at death was
related to height measurement at military checks at age 20. A total of 377 conscripts born in
the village between 1866 and 1915 that reached 70 years of age and over were selected for
analysis. Differential longevity of conscripts at older ages was investigated through the
comparison of age-specific mortality rates and life expectancy estimates. It emerged that short
conscripts in general record higher survival estimates than their tall peers, which were
expected to live at 70 years two years less than short ones. However, at more extreme ages
(after 90 years old), taller conscripts recorded a reduced risk of death, meaning that specific
age-related diseases might play a role in this change in mortality rates
Come è cambiato il profilo demografico
No full textL’Italia detiene il primato di Paese più vecchio d’Europa: il 22,8 percento dei propri abitanti è un ultrasessantacinquenne. Inoltre, dal 2015 registra una perdita annua media di circa 100 mila abitanti, dimostrandosi incapace anche di crescere a livello demografico. L’eccezionale longevità della sua popolazione la pone ai primi posti nel panorama mondiale. Inoltre, superati i 65 anni, sia gli uomini sia le donne vivono sempre più in buona salute. Le problematiche legate all’invecchiamento sono una priorità condivisa da tutti i Paesi a sviluppo avanzato: in Europa la popolazione di 80 anni e più è passata dai 23,5 milioni nel 2010 ai 29,3 milioni nel 2019, registrando un incremento del 25 percento
Examining mortality differential between a long-living community in Sardinia and Italian population: a longitudinal analysis
No full textDifferential mortality in a long-living community in Sardinia (Italy): a cohort analysis
No full textThe majority of studies on longevity in Sardinia point to an exceptional
level of longevity, particularly for males, in this region of Italy. This
study used individual data, considering selected groups of individuals such as
centenarians, or focusing on cohorts of newborns in a large time period, that
have previously been treated as a single group. An analysis on decennial birth
cohorts from 1872 to 1911 in a selected village located in the Blue Zone area
of longevity in Sardinia was used to gain insight into sex differentials in
mortality in this area of high longevity and to separate differences between
cohorts’ experiences, considering the possible role of significant events in determining
differential mortality among them. The results show that there is not a
secular trend in survival in the birth cohorts under study, but rather that several
points of mortality convergence and crossover occur, which make the estimates
derived from conventional sensitivity tests of survival curves unreliable. Differences
among birth cohorts’ experiences are more marked among the male population
and at early adult ages. External events are shown to play a relevant role
in mortality variations, despite not having an impact on the ageing process. The
results highlight that, although there are not statistically significant differences
between the two sexes, the male population is exposed to a higher risk of death
and proves to be more vulnerable to external changes. This suggests that extreme
contextual conditions, both favourable and unfavourable, may significantly
affect the mortality trajectories of a population
Riflessioni sulle pratiche dell'allattamento e dello svezzamento in Sardegna nei secoli XIX-XX: un'analisi qualitativa
No full textLongevity: a family matter? Insights from an inland village of Sardinia (Italy), 1850-2010
Full text linkFamilial transmission of longevity is a primarily studied topic in human longevity
research. The contribution of the genetic component inherited as part of the shared family DNA is hard to disentangle from that of the familiar environment. Based on the analysis of a genealogical database of an in-land village in Sardinia, this study aims to provide insights into the possible role of familial transmission of survival, estimating the effects of parental loss and parental longevity in two significant moments of individual life: in early childhood and at older ages. Using event history methods, survival trajectories of individuals born during the period 1850-1910 in a village of Sardinia (Italy) were analysed. It emerged that effects of parents' survival occur both in the short and long term. Mother’s death before five years of age increases the mortality rates of the offspring, which are mitigated by the presence of at least one sister who can replace her in the care tasks. At older ages, only maternal survival is significant for Ego’s longevity. The findings point to the relevance of the genetic component. Still, it suggests reflecting on the importance of the social dimension, the possible role of care and the transmission of knowledge and cultural capital, and social networks
Romanian transnational families: insights from a qualitative study on care workers
Full text linkPurpose
An increasing number of international immigrant workers enter the EU labour market to fill the gap in many key economic sectors. Labour migration often implies a process of family adaptation and, in some cases, a breakdown in the community structure and networks. This study aims to provide insights into the dynamics of transnational families, focusing on changes in the redefinition of roles within family members and children care arrangements.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was based on the analysis of 12 biographical interviews conducted using semi-structured interviews between November 2018 and December 2019 among Romanian women who worked as caregivers in families in an Italian metropolitan city and the surrounding urban area.
Findings
Despite the economic dimension being essential, psychological well-being increasingly burdens workers’ migratory experience and that of their family members. Findings suggest including employers and children among the actively involved actors of the family decision-making process; working and contractual conditions as factors that significantly impact the opportunities and capability of workers to provide and receive care, mainly if the latter are employed in the informal market.
Originality/value
The study makes it possible to highlight that the dynamics in decision-making processes in transnational families change in the different phases of the migration project and involve numerous actors. These processes are not always rational and are strongly influenced by the labour market structure in which migrants are employed
“Grandi vecchi” in Sardegna tra Ottocento e Duemila. La longevità attraverso i Censimenti della popolazione.
No full textBio-demographical studies on longevity in Sardinia have resulted in some important
findings, such as confirmation of high prevalence and low female/male ratio in validated
centenarians (Poulain et al., 2004). Several issues however remain still open. For
example, what are the biological mechanisms determining extraordinary life spans in
some individuals, and moreover what is the connection between longevity and extrabiological
factors such as environment, lifestyle, nutrition.
In this paper, using census data, we try to trace the historical relevance of longevity in the
Sardinian population in the last two centuries. From two censuses (1844 and 1848), it
emerges that in Sardinia, also in the first half of XIX century – despite the high mortality
rates – there are several recorded cases of longevity in individuals and population groups.
Even if the percentage of people who lived to advanced age is small, the presence of
nonagenarians was significant and was in proportion higher when compared to that of
centenarians recorded in the past few decades. Starting from these findings, we have tried
to compare the geographical distribution of long- lived individuals in the XIX and in XX
century. The longevity maps show a certain continuity in a time period of 150 years in
the areas characterized by the presence of “very old” individuals in the Island. The areas
located include mountainous and hilly internal areas, which have been described already
in previous studies as particularly “closed” areas in terms of marital patterns
(eso/endogamy). Moreover, it seems that the presence of “very old” individuals in the
XIX century was more widespread throughout the territory than today. An interesting
hypothesis is that a genetic factor favourable to longevity was present in greater measure
in the Sardinian population in the past, and that at the present time this genetic
component is only found in the more isolated and endogamous areas. Finally, our
research, notes the lower sex ratio value (F/M) among Sardinian long lived people,
particularly in some areas of the province of Nuoro and Oristano
Sopravvivenza: una questione di famiglia? Influenza della famiglia sulla mortalità dei nati a Villagrande Strisaili, 1866-1915
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