Many factors shape our lifelong health – some of them before we are even born. But there are marked differences in life expectancy, especially healthy life expectancy, in different parts of the country.
The gap in people in good health, or those that are not, has widened. There are many complex reasons for this, because our health is affected by a range of factors - not just what we eat or drink, and how active we are, but also our work, housing and access to all sorts of facilities.
Shaping our understanding of these influences is vital for the development of the best interventions to improve the health and wellbeing of the population. This is becoming ever more important as increased life expectancy is leading to a demographic shift, with a greater proportion of older people in the population.
Our vision is to create a world-leading centre on healthy aging, training, outreach and knowledge exchange, achieving high academic, societal and economic impact that has a clear end-user and stakeholder relevance.
Three key areas will dominate research activities and initiatives within the Theme, linked by a special interest in studying resilient responses to aging as more people are getting older:
- What are the mechanisms of healthy resilient aging?
- How can we establish sustained lifestyle changes, which increase longevity?
- How do health inequalities and resilience influence well-being and socio-economic performance?
