Abstract
As age inaccuracy was often observed in past populations, and is still commonly observed today in populations without efficient civil registration, age validation is essential to all scientific research on longevity in demography, genetics, epidemiology, and medicine. Thoms, in 1873, was probably the first scientist who pointed out that the ages of most centenarians were effectively exaggerated. To address this problem, Thoms introduced strict rules for researchers to follow when validating ages. Even today, these strict rules are still not being systematically applied, although some authors have recently proposed precise classifications for the level of age validation. In this chapter, we will look at some of the ways age validation is currently being conducted in different settings, and we will then present details on the age validation of some recent supercentenarians, including several exemplary cases of invalidation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bennett, N.G. and Garson, L.K. (1986). Extraordinary longevity in the Soviet Union: fact or artifact? The Gerontologist, 26:358–361.
Biridivashili, I., Herm, A., and Poulain, M. (2003). Are there any centenarians in Georgia? Paper presented at the EAPS Conference in Warsaw.
Bowerman, W.G. (1939). Centenarians. Transactions of the Actuaries Society of America, 40:361–378.
Caselli, G., Pozzi, L., Vaupel, J.W., Deiana, L., Pes, G.M., Carru, C., Franceschi, C. and Baggio, G. (2006). Family clustering in Sardinian longevity: A genealogical approach. Experimental Gerontology, 41(8):727–736.
Condran, G.A., Himes, C.L. and Preston, S.H. (1991). Old-age mortality patterns in low-mortality countries: An evaluation of population and death data at advanced ages, 1950 to the present. Population Bulletin of the UN, 30:23.
Deiana, L., Ferrucci, L., Pes, G.M., Carru, C., Delitala, G., Ganau, A., Mariotti, S., Nieddu, A., Pettinato, S., Putzu, P., Franceschi, C. and Baggio, G. (1999). AKEntAnnos. The Sardinia study of extreme longevity. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 11(3):142–149.
Deiana, L., Ferrucci, L., Pes, G.M., Carru, C., Franceschi, C. and Baggio, G. (2002). The oldest man on the planet. Journal of American Geriatric Society, 50(12):2098–2099.
Hynes, J. (1995). The oldest old in pre-industrial Britain: Centenarians before 1800 - fact or fiction?, chapter Jeune B. and Vaupel J.W. (eds.) Exceptional longevity: From prehistory to the present, pages 75–92. Odense University Press, Odense, Denmark. Odense monographs on Population Aging 2.
Jeune, B. (1995). In search of the first centenarians, chapter Jeune B. and Vaupel J.W. (eds.), Exceptional longevity: From prehistory to the present, pages 11–24. Odense University Press, Odense, Denmark. Odense Monographs on Population Aging 2.
Jeune, B. and Vaupel, J.W. (1995). Validation of exceptional longevity. Odense Monographs on Population Aging No. 6. Odense University Press, Odense, Denmark.
Jeune, B. and Vaupel, J.W. (1996). Criteria for age validation of alleged centenarians and supercentenarians at different levels of credibility. Paper presented to the IPSEN workshop help in Paris in 1996.
Jeune, B. and Vaupel, J.W. (1999). Exceptional longevity: from prehistory to the present. Odense Monographs on Population Aging No. 2. Odense University Press, Odense, Denmark.
Matsukasi, T. (1988). Examination of centenarians and factors affecting longevity in Japan, chapter Hishinuma S. (ed.), Why do the Japanese live long?, pages 11–24. Tokyo, Doban.
Mazess, R.B. and Forman, S.H. (1979). Longevity and age exaggeration in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Journal of Gerontology, 34(1):94–98.
Medvedev, Z.A. (1974). Caucasus and altay longevity: A biological or social problem? Gerontologist, 14:381–387.
Myers, R. J. (1978). An investigation of the age of an alleged centenarian. Demography, 15(2):235–236.
Palmore, E.B (1984). Longevity in Abkhazia: A reevaluation. The Gerontologist, 24:95–96.
Poulain, M., Chambre, D., and Foulon, M. (1999). Centenarian validation in Belgium, chapter Jeune, B. and Vaupel, J.W. (eds.), Validation of exceptional longevity, pages 97–118. Odense University Press.
Poulain, M., Deiana, L., Ferrucci, L., Pes, G.M., Carru, C., Franceschi, C. and Baggio, G. (2006). Evidence of an exceptional longevity for the mountainous population of Sardinia, chapter Robine, J.M. and Horiuchi, S. (eds.), Human longevity, individual life duration and the growth of the oldest-old population. Springer.
Poulain, M., Pes, G.M., Grasland, C., Carru, C., Ferrucci, L., Baggio, G., Franceschi, C. and Deiana, L. (2004). Identification of a geographic area characterized by extreme longevity in the Sardinia Island: The AKEA study. Experimental Gerontology, 39:1423–1429.
Quételet, A. (1846). Recensement de la population et des logements. Bruxelles, Commission centrale de statistique.
Rosenwaike, I. (1979). A new evaluation of United States census data on the extreme aged. Demography, 16(2):279–288.
Rosenwaike, I. and Stone, L.F. (2003). Verification of the ages of supercentenarians in the United States: Results of a matching study. Demography, 40(4):727–739.
Skytthe, A. and Jeune, B. (1995). Danish centenarians after 1800, chapter Jeune, B. and Vaupel J.W. (eds.), Exceptional longevity: From prehistory to the present, Odense Monographs on Population Aging, 2, pages 55–66. Odense University Press, Odense, Denmark.
Thatcher, R. (1992). Trends in number and mortality at high ages in England and Wales. Demography, 46:411–426.
Thoms, W.J. (1873). Human longevity, its facts and its fictions. John Murray, London.
Thoms, W.J. (1879). The longevity of man. Frederic Norgate, London.
Vincent, P. (1951). La mortalitè des vieillards. Population, 6:181–204.
Vischer, A.L. (1945). Medizinische Betrachtungen bei einem Hundertjährigen. Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift, 75:748–748.
Yeganyan, R., Baduradshili, I., Andreev, E., Mesle, F., Shkolnikov, V., and Vallin, J. (2001). Life expectancy in two Caucasian countries. Demographic Research, 5(7):217–244.
Young, T.E. (1899). On centenarians and the duration of human race. Charles and Edwin Layton, London.
Young, T.E. (1905). On centenarians. London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Poulain, M. (2010). On the age validation of supercentenarians. In: Maier, H., Gampe, J., Jeune, B., Robine, JM., Vaupel, J. (eds) Supercentenarians. Demographic Research Monographs. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11520-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11520-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11519-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11520-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)