title: Regional aging and longevity characteristics in China.
abstract: The factors that influence the length of human life are complex and longevity remains a controversial topic, particularly in China. This paper demonstrates the spatial patterns and changes of the elderly group (65 years old and over), the oldest old (80 years old and over) and the centenarians in China in the last decade, analyzes the influence of economic development on aging, and in the end, using a case study, explores the characteristics of the centenarians' behavior. The results indicate that high elderly and the oldest old proportions are more common in regions with higher socio-economic development and that have a favorable climate. Centenarian distribution pattern is less influenced by economic but only for few regions. Lifestyle factors, such as sufficient sleep, positive mental state and a light diet are also largely found among the centenarian group.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,100101, China; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6229ER, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,100101, China. Electronic address: yhli@igsnrr.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Yonghua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,100101, China.
authors.forename: Hairong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, University of Oxford, OX2 6LH, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holdaway
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,100101, China; Key Laboratory of Engineering Oceanography, Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA, Hangzhou 310012, China.
authors.forename: Zhe
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,100101, China.
authors.forename: Wuyi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing,100101, China; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, 6229ER, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krafft
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008136:Longevity; D008297:Male
keywords: Aging; Behavior; Centenarians; Economic; Geographical distribution