The factors that contribute to well-being are complex, dynamic, and inter-connected, reflecting experiences and decisions from the past as well as the present, and the embedding of individuals in household, family, and social structures. Our faculty study topics related to the demography and economics of aging in a myriad of ways. They have also developed and field a number of long-running population-based longitudinal studies that provide information on experiences, time-use, relationships, and health status at multiple points over the life course, which can be harnessed to analyze questions related to aging across a wide array of diverse settings
Aging in Diverse Contexts
Across the globe populations are aging, with the potential for profound effects on families, societies, and national economies. In addition to the United States, itself a diverse context, our faculty are deeply engaged in research and primary data collection on the demography and economics of aging in China, India, Indonesia, Malawi, the Philippines, Russia, and Sri Lanka.
Understanding Links between Health and Social and Economic Productivity
The factors that contribute to well-being are complex, dynamic, and inter-connected, reflecting experiences and decisions from the past as well as the present, and the embedding of individuals in household, family, and social structures. Our faculty collect and analyze longitudinal data because it provides information on experiences, time-use, relationships, and health status at multiple points over the life course, which can be harnessed to better understand the co-evolution of well-being and health, particularly at later stages of life.
Measurements and Methods
One of the most important components in pushing forward the boundaries of population and aging research is the recognition of the centrality of innovation in measuring health, well-being, and social and economic productivity across different contexts and population subgroups, and the importance of methods of analysis for interpreting the data resources that have been collected by our faculty. Measurement of biomarkers, genetics, and cognition, but also of relationships and exposure to stressors, are critical for understanding healthy aging.