A research agenda for aging in China in the 21st century

Evandro Fei Fang; Morten Scheibye-Knudsen; Heiko J Jahn; Juan Li; Li Ling; Hongwei Guo; Xinqiang Zhu; Victor Preedy; Huiming Lu; Vilhelm A Bohr; Wai Yee Chan; Yuanli Liu; Tzi Bun Ng

doi:10.1016/j.arr.2015.08.003

A research agenda for aging in China in the 21st century

Ageing Res Rev. 2015 Nov;24(Pt B):197-205. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2015.08.003. Epub 2015 Aug 22.

Authors

Evandro Fei Fang¹, Morten Scheibye-Knudsen², Heiko J Jahn³, Juan Li⁴, Li Ling⁵, Hongwei Guo⁶, Xinqiang Zhu⁷, Victor Preedy⁸, Huiming Lu⁹, Vilhelm A Bohr¹⁰, Wai Yee Chan¹¹, Yuanli Liu¹², Tzi Bun Ng¹³

Affiliations

¹ School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Ageing, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: evandro.fang@nih.gov.
² Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Ageing, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: scheibyem@mail.nih.gov.
³ Department of Public Health Medicine, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld 33615, Germany. Electronic address: heiko.jahn@uni-bielefeld.de.
⁴ Center on Aging Psychology, Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Electronic address: lijuan@psych.ac.cn.
⁵ Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China; Sun Yat-sen Center for Migrant Health Policy, Guangzhou 510080, China. Electronic address: lingli@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China. Electronic address: hwguo@shmu.edu.cn.
⁷ Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, and Department of Toxicology and Nutrition, School of Public Health, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: zhuxq@zju.edu.cn.
⁸ Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences Division, School of Medicine, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK. Electronic address: victor.preedy@kcl.ac.uk.
⁹ Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Ageing, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: huiming.lu@nih.gov.
¹⁰ Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Ageing, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: BohrV@grc.nia.nih.gov.
¹¹ School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: chanwy@cuhk.edu.hk.
¹² Peking Union School of Public Health, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100006, China; Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: yuanliu@hsph.harvard.edu.
¹³ School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: b021770@mailserv.cuhk.edu.hk.

Abstract

China is encountering formidable healthcare challenges brought about by the problem of aging. By 2050, there will be 400 million Chinese citizens aged 65+, 150 million of whom will be 80+. The undesirable consequences of the one-child policy, rural-to-urban migration, and expansion of the population of 'empty nest' elders are eroding the traditional family care of the elders, further exacerbating the burden borne by the current public healthcare system. The challenges of geriatric care demand prompt attention by proposing strategies for improvement in several key areas. Major diseases of the elderly that need more attention include chronic non-communicable diseases and mental health disorders. We suggest the establishment of a home care-dominated geriatric care system, and a proactive role for researchers on aging in reforming geriatric care through policy dialogs. We propose ideas for preparation of the impending aging burden and the creation of a nurturing environment conducive to healthy aging in China.

Keywords: Aging; Chronic non-communicable diseases; Geriatric care; Mental health; Pharmacological interventions; Physical exercise; Policy; Public health.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging / ethnology*
China / epidemiology
Female
Health Services for the Aged / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Needs Assessment
Population Dynamics

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding