
Older women in the United States continue to live longer than men, on average, but they're spending an increasing share of their later years living with a disability, research suggests.

Sarah A. Tishkoff (U Penn) et al. argue for the need to have more diverse populations in studies of genetic association with disease. Most studies of this type have focused on Europeans, they said, adding that "this European bias has important implications for risk prediction of diseases across global populations."

Lisa Berkman (Harvard) examines ties between an individual's social connections and their health and longevity, noting comparisons of social social isolation and other major mortality risk factors, like smoking. Also, eating together with people in your social circles can have its benefits, said Berkman.

Brian E. McGarry, Nicole Maestas, and David C. Grabowski concluded, in an article published in the journal Health Affairs, found that inefficiencies in an internet-based Medicare tool called "The Plan Finder" used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to help beneficiaries identify a preferred plan, may be resulting in consumers not choosing the lowest cost plans that fit their needs.

The National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging, funded by the NIA and housed at Michigan, acquires and disseminates datasets relevant to gerontological research - processing these data as needed to promote their effective research use. With thousands of datasets, NACDA offers rich opportunities for secondary analyses of data addressing a wide scope of issues on aging.