This new publication from the Committee on Population summarizes a September 2023 workshop that was held to discuss the most promising directions for behavioral and social research and data infrastructure investments for studying life-course health, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Participants discussed the roles of economic inequality, family changes, and environmental exposures as key domains around which to prioritize data acquisition, research, and methodological improvements.
Key takeaways from the workshop included the need to better understand the heterogeneous nature of aging populations in LMICs, a need for more studies of future older adults (i.e. younger populations) before and after policies are implemented to measure the effects of those policies, and the need to continue methodological improvements to allow for more causal analyses both within LMICs and throughout the world.