This scientific meeting aims at developing a comprehensive picture of the factors decisive for human longevity. Papers will identify the key drivers of longer lives by explaining variations in mortality and longevity. This includes the analysis of hitherto unexplained phenomena and paradoxes of longevity, among them the causes (biological and/or non-biological) underlying unusual mortality patterns of subpopulations with specific, longevity-relevant characteristics, the factors determining mortality and longevity differentials between population subgroups, and changes in longevity over time. The presentations are expected to focus on overall mortality, age-specific mortality and/or causes of death. Empirical studies, theoretical papers and overviews are welcome.

More specifically, papers could address some of the following topics:

Paradoxes of longevity and mortality as well as unexplained phenomena, e.g. the exceptionally high life expectancy of the Japanese population, the low mortality of migrants (healthy migrant paradox), the mortality crossover of blacks and whites in the US, etc.
Mortality and longevity of subpopulations with very specific health characteristics or behaviours, risk factors, life course events or living conditions typical for such groups as learned societies, vegetarians, smokers and/or non-smokers, drinkers, centenarians and supercentenarians, religious groups or prisoners
‘Longevity islands’ such as Sardinia, Vilcabamba, Okinawa, Caucasus and Altay
Determinants of differentials in longevity and mortality such as differentials by sex, education, occupation, regions and ethnicity
Plasticity of mortality in human and non-human populations
Other studies that add pieces to the ‘puzzle of the determinants of longevity’

The conference will be co-ordinated by Marc Luy and Bill Butz. Selected conference contributions will be published in the thematic issue of the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2013 after scientific review. The Yearbook will be widely circulated in hard copy and is freely available on the web (http://www.oeaw.ac.at/vid/yearbook). This rather young journal already has a high impact factor.

Please send your 1-page abstract to Este endereço de e-mail está protegido de spam bots, pelo que necessita do Javascript activado para o visualizar by 30 June 2012. Successful submitters will be informed by 1 September 2012.

See the Call for Papers (.pdf)