Having kids may make you live longer
Having children may be key living longer, particularly in older age, when health and capacity start to decline, a new study has claimed.
By the age of 60, the difference in life expectancy may be as much as two years, the findings suggest.
Researchers from Karolinska Institute in Sweden tracked the lifespan from the age of 60 onwards of all men (704,481) and women (725,290) with a birth date between 1911 and 1925 and living in Sweden.
The study ran until the end of 2014.
Age-specific risks of death were calculated and compared for each calendar year for people who had at least one child and for those who were childless.
After taking account of influential factors, such as educational attainment, the risks of death were lower among those who had at least one child than among those who were childless -and more so among men than among women.
‘Our finding that the association grew stronger when parents became older is further in agreement with research suggesting that childless people face support deficits only towards the end of life,’ the researchers said.
