Examining the mortality of young baby boomers by age 58: evidence from the NLSY79

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) has historically been a key source of information for examining health disparities. As the NLSY79 sample members continue to age, mortality differences within the cohort born in 1957–64 are becoming starker. We examine the age distribution of mortality for these young baby boomers and analyze how demographics, early test scores, and several characteristics collected at age 25 (education, employment, and health) relate to mortality later in life. Cox proportional hazard models with controls for demographics and age 25 characteristics show that being male, having lower cognitive test scores, having lower levels of education, and working fewer than 45 weeks at age 25 are related to an increased risk of mortality by age 58. Likewise, health characteristics at age 25—smoking daily, obesity, and health limitations that affect work—are related to a much higher likelihood of mortality by age 58.