The shifting demography of all nations has led to a marked increase in the older population globally both in relative and absolute terms. The US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a prominent study of ageing and well-being in the US, with other notable surveys such as the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing (ELSA) and Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), providing the necessary evidence base to address the needs and contributions of older persons in higher income countries. Yet, the majority of older persons now and into the future will reside in lower income countries where the evidence base is very limited.
The extent to which lower income countries have begun to generate and use critical evidence for an effective health response has been slow and suboptimal in many countries. This lack of evidence is particularly prominent in low and middle income countries, partly because the demographic transitions have been relatively recent. Multi-country longitudinal studies are a powerful way to generate data, raise global and country awareness of the health issues of older people and inform policy. The World Health Organization's Multi-Country Studies unit has been working with the US National Institute on Aging's Behavioural and Social Research Program to address ageing and well-being through implementing multi-country ageing and adult health studies to fill data gaps and pursuing cross-national comparisons with available data.
The WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) has now released preliminary datasets for six counties (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russian Federation and South Africa) and provides data and a data collection platform in lower income countries, such as the new China Health and Retirement Longevity Study (CHARLS) and Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) - as well as linkages to ongoing data collection in higher income countries, including the US HRS, UK's ELSA and Australia's ALSWH, for cross-national comparisons. Cross-sectional ageing and health data for a further 64 countries is available from WHO. The SAGE studies cover a broad range of topics, with a focus on health, disability, happiness, well-being and health systems responsiveness. SAGE results will be the focus of a high level technical meeting at WHO Headquarters from 02 to 04 June 2010 entitled, "Aging and health: from evidence to policy." WHO, with the support of the US NIA, will continue to engage in efforts to strengthen the evidence base for policy making and supporting ageing populations.
SAGE is coordinated by Drs Somnath Chatterji and Paul Kowal under the directorship of Dr Ties Boerma. Meta- and micro-data are available online here at no cost.
Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE): Evidence for an Ageing World — New Study from the WHO
The shifting demography of all nations has led to a marked increase in the older population globally both in relative and absolute terms. The US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a prominent study of ageing and well-being in the US, with other notable surveys such as the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing (ELSA) and Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), providing the necessary evidence base to address the needs and contributions of older persons in higher income countries. Yet, the majority of older persons now and into the future will reside in lower income countries where the evidence base is very limited.
The extent to which lower income countries have begun to generate and use critical evidence for an effective health response has been slow and suboptimal in many countries. This lack of evidence is particularly prominent in low and middle income countries, partly because the demographic transitions have been relatively recent. Multi-country longitudinal studies are a powerful way to generate data, raise global and country awareness of the health issues of older people and inform policy. The World Health Organization's Multi-Country Studies unit has been working with the US National Institute on Aging's Behavioural and Social Research Program to address ageing and well-being through implementing multi-country ageing and adult health studies to fill data gaps and pursuing cross-national comparisons with available data.
The WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) has now released preliminary datasets for six counties (China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russian Federation and South Africa) and provides data and a data collection platform in lower income countries, such as the new China Health and Retirement Longevity Study (CHARLS) and Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) - as well as linkages to ongoing data collection in higher income countries, including the US HRS, UK's ELSA and Australia's ALSWH, for cross-national comparisons. Cross-sectional ageing and health data for a further 64 countries is available from WHO. The SAGE studies cover a broad range of topics, with a focus on health, disability, happiness, well-being and health systems responsiveness. SAGE results will be the focus of a high level technical meeting at WHO Headquarters from 02 to 04 June 2010 entitled, "Aging and health: from evidence to policy." WHO, with the support of the US NIA, will continue to engage in efforts to strengthen the evidence base for policy making and supporting ageing populations.
SAGE is coordinated by Drs Somnath Chatterji and Paul Kowal under the directorship of Dr Ties Boerma. Meta- and micro-data are available online here at no cost.
Under the auspices of the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) in partnership with Turyak Seniors Council Association, we are proud to announce the International Istanbul Initiative on Ageing (IIIA), on October 4-6, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey at the WOW Hotel and CNR Convention Center.
Invitations 
The BRAID Conference will present results achieved by the project, encompassing the roadmap and implementation activities. The one-day meeting seeks to discuss socio-economic aspects in ICT and ageing that influence and shape recreational activities across different life settings and mechanisms that empower older people to live independently and fulfilled. The Conference will provide space for stakeholders to exchange and discuss the results from practical experiences including best practices projects and failed approaches in the field of ICT and ageing.
