Life expectancy is the average number of years remaining for a living being (or the average for a class of living beings) of a given age to live. Life expectancy is also called average life span or mean life span, in distinction to maximum life span. Life expectancy should not be confused with median survival time (the time at which 50% of a cohort will have died).

Although it is common usage to talk about life expectancy of any living being ranging from trees, insects, dogs, stroke victims, to mine workers, this article focuses on human life expectancy in general, that is, the aging and longevity profile of the human species.

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The Lifelong Mortality Risks of World War II Experiences
Elder, G. H., Clipp, E. C., Brown, J. S., Martin, L. R., Friedman, H. S. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0000
In this longitudinal study of American veterans, the authors investigated the mortality risks of five World War II military experiences (e.g., combat exposure) and their variation among veterans in the postwar years. The male subjects (n = 854) were members of the Stanford-Terman study, and 38% served in World War II. Cox models (proportional-hazards regressions) were used to compare the relative mortality risk associated with each military experience. Overseas duty, service in the Pacific theater, and exposure to combat significantly increased the mortality risks of veterans in the study. Individual differences in education, mental health in 1950, and age at entry into the military, as well as personality factors, made no difference in these results. In conclusion, a gradient was observed such that active duty on the home front, followed by overseas duty, service in the Pacific, and combat exposure, markedly increased the risk for relatively early mortality. Potential linking mechanisms include heavy drinking.
Old-Age Wealth in Mexico: The Role of Reproductive, Human Capital, and Employment Decisions
Wong, R., DeGraff, D. S. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0000
The authors examined relationships between the wealth of older adults and their early-life decisions regarding investment in human capital, family formation, and work activities in Mexico, using the 2001 Mexican Health and Aging Study. The authors examined correlates of accumulated financial wealth by gender and across three age cohorts: 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and 70 years or older. The authors outline the changing context these cohorts experienced during their lifetimes; describe patterns of net financial worth by main covariates across groups defined by age, sex, and marital status; and present the results of multivariate models of net worth. Simulations were conducted to illustrate patterns of net worth associated with alternative scenarios depicting differing representative combinations of life-course characteristics by age cohort. The findings suggest that old-age financial wealth in Mexico is more closely associated with family formation and human capital decisions than with employment decisions over the lifetime.
Organizational Religious Behavior Among Older African Americans: Findings From the National Survey of American Life
Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., McKeever Bullard, K., Wallace, J. M., Jackson, J. S. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0000
The authors used data from the older African American subsample of the National Survey of American Life (n = 837) to examine the sociodemographic and denominational correlates of organizational religious involvement among older African Americans. Six measures of organizational religious participation were used, including two measures of time allocation for organized religious pursuits. Significant gender, regional, marital status, and denominational differences in organizational religiosity were found. Of particular note, although older Black women generally displayed higher levels of religious participation, older Black men spent more hours per week in other activities at their places of worship. The findings are discussed in relation to prior work in the area of religious involvement among older adults. New directions for research on religious time allocation are outlined.

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