New Study Helps Policymakers Prepare Challenges Associated With Aging Population

A new International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) study published in Scientific Reports examined the prevalence of activity limitations among older adults in 23 low- and middle-income countries, to guide policymakers on the challenges of the world's aging population, reports News-Medical . "Just like high-income countries, low- and middle-income countries face a continuous increase in their share of older adults," said IIASA's Daniela Weber. "Up to now, we however did not know much about how people age in these countries." The authors analyzed health status based on the activity limitations of older adults across the world, and projected the population of men and women older than 50 in the examined countries. They were generally surprised to see similar health trends in these countries than in high-income nations. The forecasts also indicated a large variation in the proportion of older adults with physical limitations across the countries investigated. "It is important to raise awareness, not only about global issues pertaining to population aging, but also the importance of rigorous cross-national research and policy dialogue that will help address the challenges and opportunities of an aging world," concluded IIASA's Sergei Scherbov.