Now is the time for a global movement toward healthy longevity.
All countries are aging, and some are aging rapidly. In recent decades, the population of people over age 65 has grown more quickly than other age groups due to longer life spans and declining birth rates, and this growth is expected to continue into the future.
Between 2000 and 2019, the human lifespan increased globally, with low-and-middle income countries seeing life expectancy gains. But, the number of years in good health has stayed roughly the same, so people are living more years in poor health.
Recognizing the need to take action in the face of demographic change, the National Academy of Medicine formed an international commission of experts from multiple domains to develop an evidence-based roadmap to advance healthy longevity around the globe.
The commission defines healthy longevity as the state in which years in good health approach the biological life span, with physical, cognitive, and social functioning — enabling well-being across populations. According to WHO, health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.
With an all-of-society effort to improve healthy longevity, based on the evidence, the commission concluded that the future of aging societies could be optimistic, with older people contributing to family, community, and society and living lives with meaning and purpose. Societies could thrive with a strong social compact, intergenerational cohesion, and strong economies with plentiful work and volunteer roles for people of all ages.
Evidence suggests that the cost of inaction is more people living in poor health, suffering, and dependence; financial burdens on individuals and families; lost opportunities for people of all ages; gross domestic product that is lower than it would be with better health and full inclusion of older people; and increased fiscal burdens on government for supporting unnecessarily high levels of illness and disability.
The commission identified principles for achieving healthy longevity as:Every country will have a different path to healthy longevity within its current context; no single approach will work globally. To initiate needed change, governments will need to establish calls to action to develop and implement datadriven all-of-society plans for building the organizations and social infrastructure needed to enable healthy longevity.
Lives of good health, function, meaning, purpose, and dignity are achievable — now is the time to begin working toward this better future for all.
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Dean and DeLamar Professor, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Director, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center
Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences
Senior Vice President (Health Innovation and Translation), National University of Singapore (NUS)
Senior Advisor, National University Health System (NUHS)
Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences
Senior Vice President (Health Innovation and Translation), National University of Singapore (NUS)
Senior Advisor, National University Health System (NUHS)
Dean and DeLamar Professor, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Director, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center
Dean and DeLamar Professor, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Director, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center
Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences
Senior Vice President (Health Innovation and Translation), National University of Singapore (NUS)
Senior Advisor, National University Health System (NUHS)
Chief Health Scientist, Ministry of Health (MOH)
Executive Director, MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT)
President’s Chair Professor in Computer Science and Engineering
Director, Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (AI.R)
NTU Co-Lab Director, S-Lab for Advanced Intelligence
Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity (CHL), National University Health System (NUHS)
Director, Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme (HLTRP)
Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences
Senior Vice President (Health Innovation and Translation), National University of Singapore (NUS)
Senior Advisor, National University Health System (NUHS)
Dean and DeLamar Professor, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
Director, Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center
Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences
Senior Vice President (Health Innovation and Translation), National University of Singapore (NUS)
Senior Advisor, National University Health System (NUHS)
Chief Health Scientist, Ministry of Health (MOH)
Executive Director, MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation (MOHT)
President’s Chair Professor in Computer Science and Engineering
Director, Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (AI.R)
NTU Co-Lab Director, S-Lab for Advanced Intelligence
Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, National University of Singapore (NUS)
Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity (CHL), National University Health System (NUHS)
Director, Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme (HLTRP)