Measuring frailty—a key predictor of mortality and morbidity in higher income countries—in the now aging South African population

A team of researchers affiliated with HAALSI, a project focused on the aging population in South Africa, has published a study in BMC Geriatrics that finds frailty to be associated with worse health and well being, and earlier death in an aging, rural South African population.

How do functional abilities of aging population in South Africa compare to those in other LMICs?

Researchers affiliated with the Harvard Pop Center have authored a paper based on research from the Health and Aging in Africa: a Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI) study that finds that older South African men had 30% higher odds than women of being limited when it came to performing activities of daily living (ADLs), and that this cohort in South Africa (men and women) did not…

HAALSI website focuses on health of aging population of South African community

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the overall gains in life expectancy due to socioeconomic and health improvements—as well as the scale-up of antiretroviral treatment (ART)—have meant that adults are now experiencing the onset of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at unforeseen levels, with projections of rates to more than double over the next 20 years. Funded by a grant from the National Institute on Aging, the HAALSI (Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal…

How can U.S. get ready for its aging population?

An expert paper, commissioned by The National Academy of Medicine’s Vital Directions for Health and Health Care Initiative and co-authored by Lisa Berkman, tackles this key topic as part of a series focused on 19 priority focal areas for U.S. health policy.

Lisa Berkman discusses aging workforce on Harvard Chan School webcast The Forum

Harvard Pop Center Director Lisa Berkman appeared as a panel member of a  webcast on The Forum at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, presented in collaboration with the Huffington Post, on Thursday, February 11. The panel of experts discussed the implications of an aging population on the workforce, including challenges that older workers must face, as well as the impacts on employers and programs such as Social Security.…