The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Officeheld the 73rd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the WesternPacific from October 24 to 28. The Japan Agency for Gerontological EvaluationStudy (JAGES) was invited as a partner organization of the WPRO. The JAGESjoined the committee through the web.
On this occasion, the President of the JAGES, Prof. KONDO Katsunori,made a statement on ageing and primary health care.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) held the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific from October 25 to 29, 2021. The Japan Agency for Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) was invited as a partner organization of the WPRO, and dispatched the following delegates: Prof. KONDO Naoki (Board Member, JAGES; Professor, Kyoto University), Mr. FUJINAMI Yuma (Director-General, JAGES), Prof. SHOBUGAWA Yugo (Researcher, JAGES; Professor, Niigata University), and Dr. CABLE Noriko (Researcher, JAGES; Senior Research Fellow, University College of London).
The Committee convened in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan, through a hybrid meeting. The JAGES joined the committee through the web.
On this occasion, the President of the JAGES, Prof. KONDO Katsunori, made a statement on aging, emphasizing on the following:
1.Importance of social participation and strong community ties to prevent long-term care among older persons;
2.A WPRO-funded JAGES report on the potential of internet usage to promote the health of older persons, despite the digital divide hindering the process; and
3.Importance of a monitoring mechanism, i.e., a longitudinal database in collaboration with local administrators for healthy aging.
On behalf of the JAGES, Prof. KONDO Katsunori has pledged to work with the WPRO in attaining the goal of healthy aging.
We are pleased to announce the release of a new academic report on the relationship between Internet access and health among older adults in Japan and Myanmar. The results of the analysis in the report was all shared with WHO Western Pacific Regional Office.
This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND4.0 license.
This open access book is the first compilationthat reviews a wide range of social determinants of health (SDHs) fornon-communicable diseases (NCDs) and healthy ageing in Japan. With the highestlife expectancy and the largest elderly population in the world, Japan haswitnessed health inequality by region and social class becoming more prevalentsince the 2000s. The first half of this volume describes in detail major NCDs,such as cancers, heart and kidney diseases, diabetes, stroke, and metabolicsyndrome. The second half, on the other hand, explores various SDHs relating tohealthy ageing. All chapters review and focus on SDHs, particularly healthinequality associated with socio-economic status and social capital, which arewidely addressed in the field of social epidemiology. The book makes theargument that “Health for All” advocated by the WHO should be implemented basedon social justice and benefits for the greater society. Public healthresearchers and policymakers, both in Japan and other nations, will gainscientific evidence from this book to prepare for the coming era as ageingbecomes a global issue.
Wewereinvited to attend the 15th ASEAN GO-NGO Forum on Social WelfareandDevelopment, held online on 21 September 2020. Research ProfessorYugoShobugawa from Nigata University and Director General, Yuma Fujinami fromtheJapan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) were participated theforum.Research Professor Shobugawa is the leader of the research project ofJAGES inMyanmar and Malaysia. He presented past and recent experiences of hisresearchand the tools, strategies, and the results of the JAGES project at theforum.
Theforumis held annually and it was the 15th meeting, held within the frameworkof theASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD)with the Theme of “Strengthening FamilyResilience andSolidarity: Braving the Adversity and Adapting to the NewNormal”.
Totransitiontowards a New Normal under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, we spendmore timewith families at home. The participants discussed to protect thesafety ofrisk-populations of the children, older persons, and persons withdisabilities.
Duringtheforum, the participants shared their deepest concern over the pandemiccaused byCOVID-19 and its adverse impacts in their own countries, andparticipantsdiscussed on how to addressing effective solutions to it.
Attheforum, Professor Shobugawa shared the experience and showed evidence producedbyJAGES project to actively contributed the forum discussion and emphasizedtheimportance role of the community and older persons’ connection to thecommunityin addition to the role of families as an essential support systemfor elderly. 【Presentation Material.pdf】
JAGES co-hosted a webinar titled“OlderPersons, Communities and COVID-19” on 6th June 2020 incooperationwith the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia andthe Pacific(UNESCAP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), HelpAgeInternational, andASEM Global Ageing Center.
Our member of board: Dr Naoki Kondo, MD,PhD(Associate Professor of Social Epidemiology, The University of Tokyo) madeapresentation with title “Importance of Social Connection for HealthandWellbeing of Older People – Lessons from Japan Gerontological EvaluationStudy(JAGES) –“, and joined the discussion as one of the panels.
PressRelease titled “Suggestions Regarding the Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019Epidemic Responses on the Lives of the Older Japanese Population: Review ofJAGES studies”. 【PressRelease No 210-20-1.pdf】
