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A Life Course Approach to Healthy Ageing

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Prevention of Chronic Diseases and Age-Related Disability

Part of the book series: Practical Issues in Geriatrics ((PIG))

Abstract

The life course epidemiological approach extends the WHO healthy ageing initiative by investigating how physical and mental capacities change across life; how they vary by birth cohort, socioeconomic position, gender, and ethnicity; and the extent to which experience and exposures earlier in life have long-term consequences for later life capacities, disability, and chronic diseases. This chapter summarises some of the social and biomedical factors from childhood that have long-term consequences for intrinsic capacities, and how a lower level and/or an accelerated decline in capacities during early and mid-adulthood can identify those at greatest risk of subsequent disability and disease. Promotion of healthy ageing requires preventive strategies that enhance capacities during growth and development, maintain them for as long as possible after maturity, and slow down their rate of decline.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Dr. Rachel Cooper, Professor Rebecca Hardy, Professor Marcus Richards, and Professor Yoav Ben-Shlomo for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MRC National Survey of Health and Development, MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing at University College London, London, UK

    Diana Kuh

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  1. Diana Kuh
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Correspondence to Diana Kuh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Geneva University, Geneva, Switzerland

    Jean-Pierre Michel

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Kuh, D. (2019). A Life Course Approach to Healthy Ageing. In: Michel, JP. (eds) Prevention of Chronic Diseases and Age-Related Disability. Practical Issues in Geriatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96529-1_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96529-1_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-96528-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-96529-1

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