‌The Healthy Longevity group focuses on both health-related behaviours and social interventions to promote wellbeing and help people as they age, in particular among socially and economically disadvantages groups. The cluster includes research on physical, mental and social wellbeing, healthy work and retirement, and effective health and ‌social care.  In the cluster we will develop, evaluate and translate public health interventions to maintain and improve health, and reduce health inequalities in later life.

Average life expectancy has increased dramatically over the last three decades. This changing need means that societies must acknowledge the diversity of older people, both to ensure services are correctly resourced to address any needs and giving older people themselves more opportunities to age well, no matter how and where they would like to. This will require consideration of a number of factors, including but not limited to:

• life course approaches to encourage groups and individuals to think more about their futures before they reach older age.
• primary and secondary prevention approaches to both create healthier ageing societies and help for those who need it.
• hearing diverse voices of older people to ensure support is tailored to their needs and meets their priorities.

To address the considerations outlined above, the Healthy Longevity research cluster focuses on both health-related behaviours and social interventions to promote wellbeing, in particular among socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

The research involves collaborations with the Institute for Ageing at Newcastle University, NIHR School for Public Health Research, the IDEAS National Evaluation Team at Northumbria University, and other national and international collaborators. There are strong links with other Fuse clusters, in particular those focused on behaviour change and inequalities.

The cluster objectives are to:

• Promote healthy longevity in retirement, including interventions to promote exercise, healthy diet, safe drinking, and socialising.
• Investigate the implications of people working longer and develop, evaluate and translate appropriate workplace interventions to maintain and improve health.
• Evaluate the role of social and welfare interventions in later life for disadvantaged groups.
• Evaluate the roles of formal and informal care in promoting health among older adults and develop interventions to maximise health gain and minimise health inequalities.

Contact

Professor Sonia Dalkin - Cluster co-lead, Northumbria University
Email: s.dalkin@northumbria.ac.uk

Dr Philip Hodgson - Cluster co-lead, Northumbria University
Email: philip2.hodgson@northumbria.ac.uk