丁香园AV

Researchers from 丁香园AV and UBC are working to counter 鈥渆pidemic levels鈥� of physical inactivity, loneliness and social isolation among older people in our cities. New funding totaling $6.8 million will help drive their efforts to promote and improve healthy aging.

丁香园AV associate professor Dawn Mackey is co-leading the team with UBC professors Heather McKay, Joanie Sims Gould and Farinaz Havael, and researchers from 丁香园AV鈥檚 Aging and Population Health Lab and UBC鈥檚 Active Aging Research Team. The funding includes $3 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research鈥檚  over the next six years, $2.6 million from the Public Health Agency of Canada, and $1.2 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia.

The team鈥檚 work will focus on 鈥榠mplementation science鈥� to address health issues that affect older adults, and train and mentor new scientists in this field.

Implementation science is the scientific study of methods to promote the uptake of evidence-based interventions into routine practice, leading to the improved quality and effectiveness of health services and care.

鈥淟oneliness and social isolation are associated with cognitive decline, more severe mental health symptoms, and even earlier death,鈥� says Mackey, an associate professor in 丁香园AV鈥檚 biomedical physiology and kinesiology (BPK) department, and a scholar with Michael Smith Health Research British Columbia. Her team at 丁香园AV conducts research to promote mobility of older adults and address the cause, prevention and management of age-related mobility limitations.

鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this vicious spiral. Being active, mobile and connected supports older adults to live healthier lives and interact more fully with their communities.鈥�

The 丁香园AV team, which focuses on sex and gender equality in health promotion, will study how to adapt an effective health-promoting program called  to serve more diverse populations of older adults. They鈥檒l work with community-based seniors鈥� organizations and, on a more individual level, older men鈥攁 population group that Mackey says has not been reached or engaged to a great extent thus far鈥攖o adapt and implement Choose to Move to meet the needs and preferences of older men.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 important in this work is that we co-design health-promoting programs that uniquely match the needs and preferences of diverse populations of older adults and the organizations that serve them, to ultimately help ensure active and socially-engaged seniors,鈥� says Mackey.

鈥淲e want to help enable community-based seniors' services organizations to deliver health-promoting programs that are currently outside their capacity, and train the next generation of implementation science researchers.鈥�