International Network of Public Health and Aging (INOPA)

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1 International Network of Public Health and Aging (INOPA) Project: INOPA International Network on Public Health and Aging. A Global Network in Aging Research: Implications of Cross-Cultural Comparisons Staff: Professor Åke Wahlin, project leader of Poverty and Health in Ageing (PHA), IFG, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University; Dr Zarina Nahar Kabir, coordinator of Primary Health Care in Later Life: Improving services in Bangladesh and Vietnam (PHILL), financed by EU, co-pi for Poverty and Health in Ageing ; Dr Peter Kim Streatfield, head of Health and Demographic Surveillance Program, Public Health Sciences Division, ICDDR,B, Dhaka, Bangladesh, co-pi for Poverty and Health in Ageing ; Dr Syed Masud Ahmed, Research and Evaluation Division, BARC, Dhaka, Bangladesh, PHILL-BD; Dr Tran Thi Mai, Community Health Dept, Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Ministry of Health, Vietnam; Dr Stuart MacDonald, Karolinska Institutet/University of Alberta, Canada; Dr Miia Kivipelto, Karolinska Institutet, PI for Cardiovascular risk factors, Aging, and Dementia (CAIDE), Finland; Associate professor Martin vanboxtel, scientific coordinator for the Maastricht Ageing Study (MAAS), University of Maastricht, Holland; Professor Lars-Göran Nilsson, Stockholm University, project leader of the Betula-project in Umeå; Professor Kaarin Anstey, Director, Ageing Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australien, co-pi for Canberra Longitudinal Study (CLS) and The PATH Through Life Project; Assistant professor Shaji Kunnukattil, regional coordinator for India & South Asia 10/66 Dementia Research Group, Kerala, India. Grants: Forskningsrådet för Arbetsliv och Socialvetenskap (FAS)., now FORTE. Main Objectives Cooperation and exchange of knowledge in aging research To conduct direct and closely coordinated comparisons of data in high- and low-income regions of the world

Jönköping University; Dr Zarina Nahar Kabir, coordinator of Primary Health Care in Later Life: Improving services in Bangladesh and Vietnam (PHILL), financed by EU, co-pi for Poverty and Health in

2 Coordinated research on age-related diseases, health and health behaviors, and cognition across populations INOPA has a common database, coordinated by professor Wahlin, comprising data from all of the involved projects. Interested collaborators are welcome! Global Initiative - Common Concern: Unique Data, Contexts, and Possibilities Location Researchers affiliated with INOPA span the globe: Australia Bangladesh Canada Finland Holland India Sweden Vietnam A photograph of partners from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sweden, Australia, Canada and India.

Global Initiative - Common Concern: Unique Data, Contexts, and Possibilities Location Researchers affiliated with INOPA span the globe:

3 During the first meeting in Stockholm 2005 from left to right: Dr Duong Huy Luong, Dr Syed Masud Ahmed, Dr. Zarina Nahar Kabir, Dr. Åke Wahlin, Dr. Kaarin Anstey, Dr Stuart MacDonald, Dr. Tamanna Ferdous, Dr Shaji Kunnukattil. Publication of Statement of INOPA Wahlin, Å., Anstey, K. J., Mc Donald, S. W. S., Ahmed, S. M., Kivipelto, M., Kuunnukattil, S. S., Mai, T. T., Nilsson, L.- G., Streatfield, P. K., van Boxtel, M. P. J., & Kabir, Z. N. (2008). The international network on public health and ageing (INOPA): Introducing a life course perspective to the public health agenda. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 23,

M., Kivipelto, M., Kuunnukattil, S. S., Mai, T. T., Nilsson, L.- G., Streatfield, P. K., van Boxtel, M. P. J., & Kabir, Z. N. (2008).

4 Summary of INOPA workshop, Sweden, September 16, 2005 The INOPA Challenge: Initiate Collaboration and Disseminate Knowledge A number of INOPA member countries are aging quickly (B, C, I, VN), whereas Sweden is already among the oldest countries in the world (> 20% over 65 years) shifting demographics provide unique opportunities for research need for effective health care strategies across contexts Aging research from high-income contexts can learn from lowincome foci on intervention, health service utilization, quality of life, and shaping health policy sharing research knowledge needs to be improved in all contexts Low-income contexts can benefit, for example, from high-income foci on risk factors and biomarkers biological vs. chronological age causes/mechanisms of morbidity, impact on functioning (e.g., cognitive, physical, etc.) The INOPA Challenge: Initiate Collaboration and Disseminate Knowledge aging is a complex interaction among biological, genetic, psychological, and social influences our research foci should reflect the central importance of the interaction theme planned collaborations will inform, and be informed by, research from each unique context (promoting dynamic as opposed to static contextual investigations) INOPA s mission will be akin to global/cultural epidemiology a cross-contextual initiative to help us identify universal (as well as contextually-unique) elements of health and aging

contexts Aging research from high-income contexts can learn from lowincome foci on intervention, health service utilization, quality of life, and shaping health policy sharing research knowledge

5 Proceedings INOPA workshop, Bangladesh, 2009 Population aging: Integrating research and practice to improve health and quality of life of older people BRAC Auditorium, BRAC Centre, Bangladesh 29 September 2009, 9am-3:30pm Organized by The International Network on Public Health and Ageing (INOPA) A daylong workshop on the Population aging: Integrating research and practice to improve health and quality of life of older people was held on 29 September 2009 at BRAC Auditorium, BRAC Centre, Mohakhali, Dhaka from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Participating Organizations: The organizations were ICDDR,B, BRAC University, BRAC Health program, BRAC Research and Evaluation Division, Dhaka University, SORA-Jessore, BWHC, Stockholm University, Resource Integration Centre (RIC), Plan-Bangladesh, UNHCR and Bangladesh Betar (radio). Policy makers, researchers, practitioners, from these organizations attended the workshop. There were three main themes of the workshop: Research and program findings and experiences to be presented and shared by the participating organizations. Reviewing the activities of the organizations dealing with Aging and identifying gaps in research and practice, how to reduce the gap, linking research to practice, how practitioners can make use of research findings and how researchers can learn more from the experience of the practitioners. Chalking out a future plan based upon need assessment of the practitioners, modify existing communication materials to make these user-friendly, devising a common slogan on aging for championing its cause, preparation of a brief position paper for wider dissemination and constructing a website.

and quality of life of older people was held on 29 Septemb

Life begins at 50. Keeping busy. Rewarding experience

Life begins at 50. Keeping busy. Rewarding experience Life begins at 50 Keeping busy Rewarding experience Contents Life begins at 50 Introduction 2 Key Findings 3 Keeping Busy by Professor Kaarin Anstey, Ageing Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health Research,