This piece reports on the work of Lauren Nicholas, Kenneth Langa, Theodore Iwashyna, and David Weir, as published in the [*Journal of the American Medical Association* (2011)](http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/306/13/1447.abstract). The researchers found that, depending on where you live, an advance directive can increase the chances that your end-of-life care will be of higher quality and less expensive than it would be otherwise.
Lauren Nicholas (Michigan) et al find advance directives may improve care, cut costs at end of life
Robert F. Schoeni (Michigan) discusses AJPH article on early childhood links to mid-life health
Bob Schoeni and Rucker Johnson found that low birth-weight children (under 5.5 lbs) were much more likely than their counterparts to have asthma, hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart attack, and heart disease as adults. Those who grew up in poverty were also more likely to have one of these fatal, debilitating conditions by age 50. Their study is published in the [*American Jounal of Public Health.*](http://ajph.aphapublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/AJPH.2011.300252v1)
William H. Frey (Michigan) says upcoming retirees “may not run with the herd,” but many will still move to Florida
Bill Frey says Florida will continue to be a magnet for U.S. retirees, although a smaller proportion of the Baby Boom cohort than the prior cohort may choose to relocate there upon retirement.