Featured Reports

		Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2006 Panel on Policy Research and Data Needs to Meet the Challenge of Aging in Africa, Barney Cohen and Jane Menken, Editors Economic security, health and disability, and living conditions in old age are policy concerns throughout the world, but the nature of the problem differs considerably from continent to continent and between and within countries. In sub-Saharan Africa older people make up a relatively small fraction of the total population, and traditionally their main source of support has been the household and family, supplemented in many cases by other informal mechanisms, such as kinship networks and mutual aid societies. Although very little careful empirical research has been undertaken on long-term trends in the welfare of older people, there are a number of reasons to believe that traditional caring and social support mechanisms in sub-Saharan Africa are under increasing strain. This report provides recommendations for a research agenda, for enhancing research opportunity and implementation, and for translation of research findings.
		When I’m 64, 2006 Committee on Aging Frontiers in Social Psychology, Personality, and Adult Developmental Psychology, Laura L. Carstensen and Christine R. Hartel, Editors When I’m 64 explores what we know about how behavior changes as people age and poses intriguing research questions whose answers can expand our knowledge. The recommended research areas are geared to both practical issues in everyday life and to fields that have unusual promise for making significant advances in understanding the psychological mechanisms that underlie behavior. The report also looks at the question of whether being socially engaged affects our cognitive abilities, as well as the effects that stereotypes about aging have on the older population—and the younger one. As the “baby boomers” enter late life, these issues will play increasingly major roles in all aspects of the U.S. economy and society.

Current Projects

Assessing Behavioral and Social Science Research on Aging

Contacts

	Connie Citro, Director, Committee on National Statistics: 202-334-3009
	Barney Cohen, Director, Committee on Population: 202-334-3829
	Christine Hartel, Director, Center on Studies of Behavior and Development: 202-334-3026
	Jane Ross, Director, Center for Economic, Governance, and International Studies: 202-334-3730
	Paul Stern, Director, Human Dimensions of Global Change: 202-334-3005

More Publications
	Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life, 2004 Read the report | Panel members | More info
	Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers, 2004 Read the report | Committee members | PDF Summary | More info
	Technology for Adaptive Aging: Workshop Report and Papers, 2004 Read the report | Committee members | PDF Summary | More info
	Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life: A Research Agenda, 2004 Read the report | Panel members | More info
	Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America, 2002 Read the report | Panel members | PDF Summary | More info
	Cells and Surveys: Should Biological Measures Be Included in Social Science Research?, 2001 Read the report | Committee members | More info
	New Horizons in Health: An Integrative Approach, 2001 Read the report | Committee Members | PDF Summary | More info
	Preparing for an Aging World, 2001 Read the report | Panel members | PDF Summary | More info
	The Aging Mind: Opportunities in Cognitive Research, 2000 Read the report | Committee members | PDF Summary | More info
	Assessing Policies for Retirement Income: Needs for Data, Research and Models, 1997 Read the report | Panel members | PDF Summary | More info
	Between Zeus and the Salmon: The Biodemography of Longevity, 1997 Read the report | Committee members | More info
	Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Health of Older Americans, 1997 Read the report | Committee members | PDF Summary | More info
	Improving Data on America's Aging Population: Summary of a Workshop, 1996 Read the report | Committee members | PDF Summary | More info
	Trends in Disability at Older Ages: Summary of a Workshop, 1994 Read the report | Committee members | More info
	Demography of Aging, 1994 Read the report | Committee members | PDF Summary | More info