The population study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago.

Abstract

This special issue is reported on the Population Study of ChINese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) and is designed to shed light on the psychological and social well-being of U.S. Chinese older adults. The PINE study (松年研究, sōngnianyanjiū) is a population-based epidemiological study of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults aged 60 years and older in the Greater Chicago area. With its data collection taking place between July 2011 and June 2013, the PINE study assessed a wide array of psychological and social attributes, including depressive symptoms, loneliness, social support, elder abuse, and other indicators including filial piety values that are closely intertwined with the Chinese cultural ideal on health and well-being. To our knowledge, the PINE study is the largest epidemiological study of U.S. Chinese older adults in the Western countries with primary aims to examine the psychological and social well-being of Chinese older adults. Globally, China’s aging population is growing at an exponential rate. Currently, China is the only country in the world with more than 100 million older people, and the country continues to experience an annual growth rate of 3.2% (Zhang, Guo, & Zheng, 2012). By 2030, Chinese older adults aged 60 and over will reach 360 million, accounting for 16% of the total population. It is estimated that by 2042, approximately a one third of China’s population will be 60 years or older, accounting for one fourth of the global aging population (National People’s Congress Announcement, 2011; Poston & Yi, 2008).