Centre for Ageing

Tel: 020 7927 2253

Mission of the Centre for Ageing

The mission of the Centre for Ageing and Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is to improve the health and well being of elderly people in developed and developing country settings. The Centre, through its programme of research and teaching, is a major source of expertise in the public health of ageing populations.

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Population ageing: a global issue

All countries are experiencing a growth in the numbers of elderly people in the population. By 2020 the world population of elderly people is expected to have trebled, with an estimated 700 million people aged 65 years and over of whom 70% will be in developing countries. Of particular significance is the growth of the oldest old in the population.

Elderly women outnumber elderly men in almost all countries including those in the developing world. The fact that many elderly women are widows, and in many countries, at an economic disadvantage due to low income makes then particularly vulnerable. In many countries, population changes have been accompanied by changes in living arrangements and household composition which have implications for care of the elderly. In many developing countries, the pace of socio-economic transformation has been particularly abrupt, placing heavy strain on households.

Opportunities for improving the health of elderly people have been limited. This is due to a variety of factors: negative images of ageing and concepts that health promotion and disease prevention in old age are not worthwhile; and, until relatively recently, neglect by the research community of common problems of old age. Delivery of health care to the elderly population is a huge challenge facing governments in all countries. Forecasting the resources for services requires knowledge of patterns of disease and disability, other support mechanisms such as pension schemes, social policy and informal arrangements.

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Who are we?

Centre members come from different department in the School and represent a wide range of relevant disciplines. The Centre Director is Astrid Fletcher (Professor of Epidemiology and Ageing). Other key Centre members are Allen Foster (Senior Lecturer in Preventive Eye Care), Emily Grundy (Reader in Social Gerontology), Charles Normand (Professor of Health Economics) and Margaret Thorogood (Reader in Public Health and Preventive Medicine).

Full list of Centre members.

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What do we do?

Research
The research programme of Centre members ranges from investigations into the causes of diseases of ageing and evaluation of effectiveness of treatment and interventions in older people to wider policy issues of forecasting, planning and financing services. Examples of some specific areas include studies of screening for disability and disease, mental disorders of late life, infectious diseases and vaccine efficacy and policy, the role of health promotion including diet, nutrition policy and malnutrition, dependency and the role of family and social networks and poverty and economic welfare in developing regions. A theme spanning much of this research is the influence of health inequalities.

Research undertaken by centre members is funded from a variety of sources including the Medical Research Council, the Department of Health, the Economic and Science Research Council, HelpAge International, the British Department for International Development, the British Heart Foundation.

Teaching
A range of short courses is being developed. Courses will be designed for people working in a range of academic, NGO and government settings who are involved with the health and policy of elderly people.

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