关键词: 生理年龄, 日历年龄, 老龄化异质性

Abstract: Utilizing the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey,this study constructs the measure of biological age of Chinese elderly and tests its validity. In comparison to other health measures used in survey,the biological age shows several prominent advantages in the following aspects.First,the biological age,as a comprehensive measure of people’s physiological condition,can well predict individual’s mortality risk and health status in various dimensions. Second,it can reflect the diverging health status among the middle age and younger old-age people when many health problems have not been discovered. Third,compared with the subjective health measures,the biological age can eliminate the bias of reference point by different groups. Finally,the influence of chronological age on health can be eliminated from the biological age model. Based on the hierarchical linear regression model,it is found that education level is the most reliable factor that affects individual’s biological age and cohort can significantly differentiate old people’s health. In particular,individuals born during the great famine period may be confronted with a greater physiological risk.

Keywords: Biological Age, Chronological Age, Heterogeneity of Aging Process