Ontario Women Continue to Outlive Men as Number of Centenarians Grows

A Canadian study of aging in Ontario province has found that women continue to outlive men as the number of female centenarians continues to rise.

In the past 15 years, the number of people likely to age 100 or older has increased 70 percent in Ontario, and women make up the lion's share - 85 percent - of them, according to new research by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Women's College Hospital.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, was among the first to ever assess the health of centenarians across a large geographic area, the authors report.

"Our study highlights that older people are living longer, and women make up a significant proportion of centenarians. The predominance of women among those of advanced age challenges us to consider tailoring health and social care to meet their particular needs," said Dr. Paula Rochon, lead author of the study and scientist at Women's College Research Institute and ICES.

The study estimated that there were 1.8 million individuals in Ontairo who are 65 years of age and older.

According to Rochon and her colleagues, the number of centenarians in Ontario rose from 1,069 in 1995 to 1,842 in the year 2010, a 72.3 percent increase. Of the centenarians documented in 2010, nearly 7 percent were aged 105 years or older, and nearly 90 percent of them were women.

During the same time period, the number of 85- to 99-year-olds in Ontario increased by nearly 90 percent, suggesting that as the years go by the number of centenarians will likely continue to increase.

Considering the growing population of centenarians, Rochon suggested there would be use for greater study of the population.

"We need a better understanding of who centenarians are, and how and when they use the health care system in order to improve their health service delivery," she said.