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April 2012
Leading, connecting and Research Review Newsletter
defining the active aging Vol. 12, No. 14
industry since 2001 Lifestyle choices and prevention key to healthy aging
Recognizing the impact of the world's aging population, the World Health Organization (WHO) chose agingand health as the theme of World Health Day (April 7, 2012). In concert with the theme "Good health addslife to years," the organization released data and recommendations. The overall messages centered onlifestyle, prevention and reinventing aging.
CHALLENGES: The main health challenges for older people in all countries are noncommunicable diseases,such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.
KEY ACTIONS: There are four key actions that governments and societies can take now to strengthen healthyand active aging: • Promote good health and healthy behaviors at all ages to prevent or delay the development of chronic • Minimize the consequences of chronic disease through early detection and quality care (primary, long- term and palliative care).
• Create physical and social environments that foster the health and participation of older people.
• Reinvent aging by changing social attitudes to build a society in which older people are respected COMMENT: "Healthy lifestyles from the very beginning of life is key to a healthy and active old age," saidJohn Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and the Life-course at WHO.
SOURCE: World Health Organization, Good health adds life to years: Global brief (April 2012) ICAA RESOURCE: Visit ICAA-TV to watch and share the WHO video marking World Health Day and to listento interviews with John Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and the Life-course at WHO. The videosare on the ICAA Today channel.
Flexible work hours attract older, experienced workers
Since the US workforce will increasingly include workers 55 years and older, a research center conductedcase studies of three corporations following a literature review and telephone interviews with humanresources managers. The most common strategies used by all organizations to attract and retain olderworkers (and their skill sets) were: offering part-time positions (42%), hiring retirees as consultants ortemporary workers (40%), and offering flexible work arrangements for older workers (36%).
SOURCE: Sloan Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, Flex Strategies to Attract, Engage and Retain theOlder Worker (March 2012) Continued on.pg 2 International Council on Active Aging

April 2012
Leading, connecting and Research Review Newsletter
defining the active aging Vol. 12, No. 14
industry since 2001 What activities might inspire the inactive older population?
An online survey of 38,172 people 6 years and older asked about their participation in 119 fitness andrecreation activities. Participation was defined as one time a year or more. More than 68 million Americanssix years and older were classified as inactive in 2011. People 55 years and older were most likely to beinactive.
Among people who were inactive, the activities they were interested in (but did not engage in) were bicycling,swimming and working out using machines for ages 55-64 and working out using machines, swimming andfitness classes for people 65 years and older.
SOURCE: Physical Activity Council, Sports, Fitness and Recreational Activities Participation Topline Report(March 23, 2012) Osteoporosis-related fragility fractures cost Euro 39 billion
Presented at the European Congress of Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis meeting, a new analysis detailed theeconomic burden of fragility fractures (fracture resulting from daily activities, such as a fall from standingheight) in the 27 member states of the European Union.
ANALYSIS: A population-based economic model used data on facture incidence, costs for pharmaceuticalprevention and post-fracture health care, mortality, and population size to estimate total costs in 2010.
Costs were divided into cost of fractures occurring within the index year, cost of prior historic fractures thatstill are associated with costs, and cost of pharmaceutical prevention.
RESULTS: The total economic burden, including pharmaceutical prevention, of fractures in the EuropeanUnion in 2010 was estimated at €39 billion EUR (US $51 billion). Hip fractures accounted for approximately55% of costs.
The direct costs of treating new fractures accounted for €26 billion EUR, long-term fracture care €11 billionand pharmaceutical prevention €2 billion. The economic burden, excluding pharmaceutical prevention costs,resulted from hip (55%), vertebral (5%), wrist (1%) and "other" fractures (38%).
SOURCE: International Osteoporosis Foundation (March 23, 2012) Hip fracture occurrence highest in northern Europe
Prior to the Congress, the results of a global survey of hip fracture incidence were presented. According toprovided background, fragility fractures (fracture resulting from daily activities, such as a fall from standingheight), affect approximately one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50 worldwide.
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April 2012
Leading, connecting and Research Review Newsletter
defining the active aging Vol. 12, No. 14
industry since 2001 The researchers used hip fractures to estimate the burden of osteoporosis because the majority of hipfractures are treated (and therefore recorded) in hospitals or clinics.
ANALYSIS: Age-standardized hip fracture rates from 63 countries were compiled along with the probabilityof major fracture from 45 FRAX (fracture risk assessment tool) models from 40 countries.
FINDINGS: There was approximately a 10-fold range in hip fracture incidence worldwide. In women, thelowest annual age-standardized incidences were found in Tunisia (58 per 100,000 persons) and Ecuador (73per 100,000 persons). The highest incidences were in Denmark (574 per 100,000 persons) and Norway (563per 100,000 persons).
SOURCE: Osteoporosis International, online first (March 15, 2012) Stats: Cancer rates decline, but lifestyles still increase risk
In the United States, the overall incidence of new cancer diagnoses among men decreased by an averageof 0.6% per year between 2004-2008. Overall cancer incidence rates among women declined 0.5% per yearfrom 1998-2006 with rates leveling off from 2006-2008. Death rates from all cancers combined for men,women and children declined between 2004-2008.
A special section of the report details the effects of excess weight and lack of physical activity on cancerrisk. Esophageal adenocarcinoma, cancers of the colon and rectum, kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer,endometrial cancer, and breast cancer among postmenopausal women are associated with being overweightor obese. Several of these cancers also are associated with not being sufficiently physically active.
SOURCE: Cancer, Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2008, early online (March 28,2012) Interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes save money
After their participation in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study, 88% of the people continued in afollow-up Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS), the results of which were reported in ICAAResearch Review (9[39] 2009). Over 10 years, people making lifestyle changes reduced the rate of developingtype 2 diabetes by 34% and people treated with the oral diabetes drug metformin reduced the rate ofdeveloping diabetes by 18%, compared with the control group. A new analysis looked at the economic impactof the interventions in the studies.
STUDY: This analysis looked at the direct medical costs over the 10 years after participants were randomlyassigned to a lifestyle group, oral metformin group or oral placebo group.
Continued on.pg 4 International Council on Active Aging

April 2012
Leading, connecting and Research Review Newsletter
defining the active aging Vol. 12, No. 14
industry since 2001 FINDINGS: The direct costs over 10 years per participant for the lifestyle and metformin interventions werehigher than for placebo ($4,601 lifestyle, $2,300 metformin, and $769 placebo). The higher cost of thelifestyle intervention was due largely to the individualized training those participants received in a 16-sessioncurriculum during the original DPP and in group sessions during the follow-up DPPOS to reinforce behaviorchanges.
However, the costs of medical care received outside the DPP, for example hospitalizations and outpatientvisits, were higher for the placebo group ($27,468) compared with lifestyle ($24,563) or metformin ($25,616).
Over 10 years, the combined costs of the interventions and medical care outside the study were lowest formetformin ($27,915) and higher for lifestyle ($29,164) compared with placebo ($28,236).
Quality of life (measured by mobility, level of pain, emotional outlook and other indicator) was consistentlybetter for the lifestyle group throughout the study.
COMMENT: "Over 10 years, the lifestyle and metformin interventions resulted in health benefits and reducedthe costs of inpatient and outpatient care and prescriptions, compared with placebo. From the perspectiveof the health care payer, these approaches make economic sense," said lead author William H. Herman, MD,MPH, a co-investigator of the DPP Research Group and director of the Michigan Center for Diabetes TranslationalResearch, Ann Arbor.
SOURCE: Diabetes Care, 35(4):723-730 (April 2012) Coming Up: Older Americans Month in May
Presented by the federal Administration on Aging, the theme of this year's month is "Never too old to play." A toolkit of resources is available.
SOURCE: Administration on Aging --reported by Patricia Ryan International Council on Active Aging
CEO & Publisher, Colin Milner Director of Market Development, Patsy LeBlanc Chief Operating Officer, Julie Milner Editor-In-Chief, Journal on Active Aging, Jenifer Milner Vice President of Education, Patricia Ryan, MS Director of Member Services, Krystyna KasprzakCommunications Director, Marilynn Larkin Copyright 2011 ICAA Services, dba International Council on Active Aging, Vancouver, BC. 866-335-9777 or 604-734-
4466. Disclaimer. ICAA Research Review is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health
care professional and is not medical advice.
International Council on Active Aging

Source: http://www.icaa.cc/newsletter/2012pdf/ICAAResearchReview2012_12-14.pdf