Introducing students to healthy aging within their own communities: An online applied research experience

Healthy Aging Data Reports: Measures of Community Health to Identify Disparities and Spur Age-Friendly Progress

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

This translational research had two aims. First, to analyze and translate data from multiple original data sources to provide accurate, unbiased local community and statewide information about healthy aging. Second, to work with stakeholders to use the tools to identify disparities in healthy aging and to support their efforts to advance healthy aging.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Data sources from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, U.S. Census American Community Survey, and other sources were analyzed using small area estimation techniques to determine age/gender adjusted local community rates in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), and Rhode Island (RI).

RESULTS

State level analyses revealed gender and racial/ethnic disparities in healthy aging. A factor analysis identified 4 dimensions of community population healthy aging/morbidity: serious complex chronic disease, indolent conditions, physical disability, and psychological disability.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Healthy Aging Data Reports now exist for MA (2014, 2015, 2018), NH (2019), RI (2016, 2020) and CT (2021) and demonstrate differences in health by place. Each report includes community profiles for every city, town, and some urban neighborhoods with more than 170-197 indicators. The reports include maps of the statewide distribution of rates, an infographic, highlights report with state-specific multivariate analyses, and 18 interactive web-maps, 18 regional interactive web-maps, and technical documentation about data sources and methods. Overall, the research has identified variations in healthy aging and provided tools to track change over time to support age-friendly efforts in the region.