Mortality Risk in Older Adults in Mexico: The Role of Communicable and Non Communicable Diseases

Cesar Gonzalez, El Colegio de México, Instituto de Geriatria

The paper examines the role that non-communicable (chronic) and communicable (infectious) diseases play in the likelihood of mortality of older adults in Mexico. The motivation for this research centers on the mixed epidemiological regime and economic inequality that still prevails in many developing countries characterized by rapid population aging. The paper documents historical trends in communicable and non-communicable diseases as causes of death among older adults. Using a national sample of adults aged 60 and older (the Mexican Health and Aging Study, MHAS), we estimate models of 2-year mortality that assess the relative contribution of communicable and non-communicable diseases, controlling for sociodemographic and economic covariates. We quantify the independent effect of communicable diseases to the risk of mortality, and conclude on the importance that communicable diseases should continue have in population-based aging studies in developing countries.