PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER'S HEALTHY AGING RESEARCH NETWORK (HAN)

FUNDING SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control - National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

TIMELINE: Sept. 30, 2001 - Sept. 29, 2009

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Delores M. Pluto, PhD (USC PRC & HPEB)

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Sara Wilcox, PhD (USC EXSC)
CO-INVESTIGATORS:
Steven Hooker, PhD (USC PRC & EXSC)
Katherine Leigh, PhD (USC CHSPR)
Ken Watkins, PhD (USC HPEB)
Harriet Williams, PhD (USC EXSC)

By the year 2030, one out of every five Americans will be 65 years of age or older. Increasing age is associated with increased mortality, morbidity, physical impairments, and loss of independence. Yet, many conditions that are associated with aging are not age-dependent. For example, physical activity, proper nutrition, smoking cessation, access to health care services, and immunizations have all been shown to improve the health, physical functioning, and quality of life of older adults. The United States is not well prepared to deal with approaching age-related public health challenges. Research and strategic planning is needed to enhance research, practice, and education in the area of successful aging. Thus, the major goal of the proposed project is to continue to participate in the Prevention Research Centers' Healthy Aging Research Network (PRC HAN) as a Network Center.

Consistent with the work completed to date by the Network, and in accordance with CDC recommendations, the specific aims of the PRC HAN are to:

1. synthesize scientific information on the determinants of healthy aging, intervention research, and/or translation research for programs in healthy aging,
2. conduct research on the effectiveness of community-based interventions for which evidence is insufficient to justify a CDC recommendation,
3. evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of community-based programs,
4. conduct research on the mechanisms to disseminate and implement evidenced-based interventions into communities by public health and aging services network organizations, and
5. develop and disseminate training products for the public health and aging networks.

The choice and development of a process for achieving study aims will result from the collaboration of the Network members, CDC and local academic- and community-based partners. Network conference calls and in-person meetings; review of national, state, and local data; literature and program reviews; and needs assessment and interviews with academic- and community-based partners are will be used to achieve study aims.

To learn more about the Prevention Research Center Healthy Aging Research Network, refer to the national PRC HAN website: http://depts.washington.edu/harn/

The USC PRC HAN member center recently published a directory of physical activity programs for older adults. To view the PA Directory for Older Adults. An Activity Directory for Residents of Richland and Lexington County, click here http://prevention.sph.sc.edu/padirectory.