title: Progression of aging in Mexico: the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) 2012.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the third wave of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), completed in 2012, and present preliminary results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive analyses by gender and age group of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health conditions and health behaviors, as well as social support and life satisfaction measures are presented. In addition, external validations are presented by comparing MHAS 2012 indicators with other national data sources.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the panel of older adults in the sample, the rate of health care insurance coverage increased greatly between 2001 and 2012, a significantly higher change in rural compared to urban areas. The results for 2012 are consistent with the previous two waves for the main indicators of health and physical disability prevalence, risk factors,and behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MHAS offers a unique opportunity to study aging in Mexico, as well as to complete cross-national comparisons. The cumulative number of deaths in the cohort should support the study of mortality and its association with health outcomes and behaviors over the life cycle. In addition, the sub-samples of objective markers will enable methodological research on self-reports and associations of biomarkers in old age with similar health outcomes and behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, Estados Unidos de América.
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Sealy Center on Aging, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, Estados Unidos de América.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michaels-Obregón
authors.affiliation: Center for Demography and Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, Estados Unidos de América.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palloni
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, México, Distrito Federal, México.
authors.forename: Luis Miguel
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Robledo
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: González-González
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Geriatría, México, Distrito Federal, México.
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Ortega
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Nutrición y Salud, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Martha María
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Téllez-Rojo
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Evaluación y Encuestas, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Laura Rosario
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Mendoza-Alvarado
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors