Developing an Agenda
for Population Aging
and Social Research
in Low- and Middle-
Income Countries
(LMICs)
_____
Erin Hammers Forstag, Rapporteur
Committee on Population
Division of Behavioral and Social
Sciences and Education
Proceedings of a Workshop
NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
This activity was supported by a contract between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute on Aging (HHSN263201800029I/75N98022F00009). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-71343-6
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-71343-9
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/27415
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Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Developing an Agenda for Population Aging and Social Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27415.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE FOR A WORKSHOP ON DEVELOPING AN AGENDA FOR POPULATION AGING AND SOCIAL RESEARCH IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES (LMICS)
REBECA WONG (Chair), University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
EMILY M. AGREE, Johns Hopkins University
AYAGA BAWAH, University of Ghana
MARY GANGULI, University of Pittsburgh
DAVID WEIR, University of Michigan
YAOHUI ZHAO, Peking University
Staff
MICHAEL SIRI, Project Director
MADELEINE GOEDICKE, Senior Program Assistant
MALAY K. MAJMUNDAR, Director, Committee on Population
COMMITTEE ON POPULATION
ANNE R. PEBLEY (Chair), University of California, Los Angeles
EMILY M. AGREE, Johns Hopkins University
RANDALL Q.K. AKEE, University of California, Los Angeles
DEBORAH BALK, Baruch College of the City University of New York
COURTNEY C. COILE, Wellesley College
SONALDE DESAI, University of Maryland
KATHARINE M. DONATO, Georgetown University
ROBERT A. HUMMER, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SEEMA JAYACHANDRAN, Princeton University
HEDWIG (HEDY) LEE, Duke University
TREVON LOGAN, The Ohio State University
JENNIFER J. MANLY, Columbia University
JENNA NOBLES, University of Wisconsin–Madison
FERNANDO RIOSMENA, The University of Texas at San Antonio
DAVID T. TAKEUCHI, University of Washington
Staff
MALAY K. MAJMUNDAR, Director
Reviewers
This Proceedings of a Workshop was reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in making each published proceedings as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets the institutional standards for quality, objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We thank the following individual for their review of this proceedings:
REBECA WONG, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Although the reviewer listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, she was not asked to endorse the content of the proceedings nor did she see the final draft before its release. We also thank staff member LIDA BENINSON for reviewing and providing helpful comments on this manuscript.
The review of this proceedings was overseen by JUDITH SELTZER, University of California, Los Angeles. She was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this proceedings was carried out in accordance with standards of the National Academies and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content rests entirely with the rapporteur and the National Academies.
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Acknowledgments
Funding for the workshop was provided by the Division of Behavioral and Social Research of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and NIA staff provided substantial input to the workshop. The planning committee thanks Minki Chatterji and Charlie Le at NIA for being generous with their time and attention in answering the committee’s questions and providing vital information to develop the scope and content of the workshop.
The planning committee is grateful to all the speakers for sharing their experiences and knowledge by providing high-quality and relevant presentations for this workshop. A video playlist of the workshop as well as links to all presentations can be found at https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/09-07-2023/developing-an-agenda-for-population-aging-and-social-research-in-low-and-middle-income-countries-lmics-a-workshop. Finally, the workshop and proceedings would not be possible without help from knowledgeable and talented National Academies staff who provided guidance, shared best practices, and assisted in navigating institutional processes and procedures.
This proceedings was prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop. The planning committee’s role was limited to planning and convening the workshop. The views contained in the proceedings are those of individual participants and do not necessarily represent the views of all workshop participants, the planning committee, NIA, or the National Academies.
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GENERALIZATION AND TRANSPORTABILITY
RESEARCH INFORMING SOCIAL POLICY
CARE OF OLDER ADULTS IN LATIN AMERICA
INTERGENERATIONAL TIES IN CHINA
LONGITUDINAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS
7 Role of Environmental Exposures
HOUSEHOLD AIR POLLUTION AND HEALTH IN LMICS
HEALTH IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN LMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS AND ADAPTATIONS IN LMICS
PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION PERSPECTIVE
NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING PERSPECTIVE
Appendix B Biographical Sketches for Workshop Planning Committee Members and Speakers
Box and Figures
BOX
FIGURES
1-1 Mexico population pyramid, 2025 and 2050
1-2 Decline in mortality attributable to increases in female schooling in 92 countries, 1970–2010
1-4 Functional limitations over age by lifetime socioeconomic status (SES) in Mexico
1-5 Depressive symptoms over age by lifetime socioeconomic status (SES) in Mexico
1-6 Adverse childhood experiences and subsequent chronic diseases in China
2-1 Old-age dependency ratios in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States
2-2 National income level and percentage of older population in select countries
2-5 Enrollment in health insurance program in India, by wealth and education
2-7 Global income inequality, 1820–2020
2-8 Between-country and within-country inequality, 1820–2020
2-9 Income inequality across the globe
2-10 Shift from public to private wealth, 1970–2020 in select countries
3-1 Change in child mortality in Latin American countries, 1840–2020
3-2 Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of the poorest countries, 1950–2018
3-3 Population projections in Malawi and South Africa, 2050
3-4 Trajectories of health across the life course in Malawi
3-5 Innovations in life-course frameworks of aging
5-2 Trends in population aging in China, the United States, and the world
5-3 Average size of family households in China, 1953–2020
5-4 Living arrangements for men and women aged 65+ in China, 2018
7-2 Framework for environmental impacts on health in low- and middle-income countries
Acronyms and Abbreviations
AD/ADRD | Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias |
BA | biological age |
BSR | Division of Behavioral and Social Research (National Institute of Aging) |
CA | chronological age |
CHARLS | China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study |
CPOP | Committee on Population |
DATASUS | health data from the National Health System |
DFLE | disability-free life expectancy |
DPPIA | Data Protection & Privacy Impact Assessment |
ELSA | English Longitudinal Study of Ageing |
ELSI1 | Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging |
ENSANUT2 | Mexican National Survey of Health and Nutrition |
GDP | gross domestic product |
___________________
1 ELSI is a Portuguese acronym, however, for accessibility and consistency the common English definition is provided here and used throughout the report.
2 ENSANUT is a Spanish acronym, however, for accessibility and consistency the common English definition is provided here and used throughout the report.
HAALSI | Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study in South Africa |
HDSS | health and demographic surveillance system |
HMIS | Health Management Information System |
HRS | Health and Retirement Study |
IDB | Inter-American Development Bank |
INSPIRE Network | Implementation Network for Sharing Population Information from Research Entities |
LMICs | low- and middle-income countries |
LOSHAK | Longitudinal Study of Health and Aging in Kenya |
LSMS | Living Standards Measurement Study |
LSMS-ISA | Living Standards Measurement Study—Integrated Surveys on Agriculture |
MHAS | Mexican Health and Aging Study |
NIA | National Institute on Aging |
PAHO | Pan American Health Organization |
PM-JAY | Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana |
RSBY | Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana |
SES | socioeconomic status |
SHARE | Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe |
STAR | Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery |
WHO | World Health Organization |