title: The Republic of Chile: an upper middle-income country at the crossroads of economic development and aging.
abstract: Chile is a developing country with a rapidly expanding economy and concomitant social and cultural changes. It is expected to become a developed country within 10 years. Chile is also characterized as being in an advanced demographic transition. Unique challenges are posed by the intersection of rapid economic development and an aging population, making Chile an intriguing case study for examining the impact of these societal-level trends on the aging experience. This paper highlights essential characteristics of this country for understanding its emerging aging society. It reveals that there is a fundamental lack of adequate and depthful epidemiologic and country-specific research from which to fully understand the aging experience and guide new policies in support of health and well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Systems and Outcomes, School of Nursing, Center for Innovative Care in Aging, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. lgitlin1@jhu.edu
authors.forename: Laura N
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Gitlin
authors.forename: Patricio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile; D003710:Demography; D057217:Economic Development; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D012939:Social Planning; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult