AARP: Policy and Research Information for Professionals in Aging

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The Health Quality of Older Americans

Quick Health Facts 2008: A Compilation of Selected State Data  / Research Report
April 2008— This publication provides a snapshot of each state’s health care landscape by providing comparable state-level and national data for over 30 indicators. Data are presented for each state and the District of Columbia in regard to demographics, Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance coverage. Limited data are presented for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (68 pages) (Publication ID: D18971)

The State of 50+ America 2007  / Research Report
January 2007— AARP’s fourth annual “report card” on the quality of life of age 50+ Americans finds them somewhat better off now than a few years ago, but there is still much room for improvement. The report examines changes in various economic, health, social and lifestyle indicators over the most recent year, as well as multi-year periods. (60 pages) (Publication ID: D18779)

AARP Virgin Islands 2006 Health and Fitness: A Survey of Members  / Research Report
June 2006— Physical fitness activities and attitudes toward exercise of Virgin Islands AARP members are examined in this January 2006 AARP mail survey that also explores factors supporting physical activity or contributing to inactivity, health-related programs of interest to members, and the role they would like AARP to play in promoting health and fitness. (44 pages)

Hispanic Sleep Study  / Research Report
May 2006— While there is disagreement about whether sleep needs decline with age or remain constant over the adult lifespan, many older adults report being less satisfied with the sleep they’re getting. Of 487 Hispanics in this AARP telephone survey, 67 percent of those age 40+ say they’re sleeping enough, but the percentage drops to 57 among those age 50+. (6 pages)

Physical Activity Survey, 2006  / Research Report
April 2006— How much physical activity adult Americans engage in, their perceptions of the benefits of exercise, their exercise preferences, and whether they have always been as active or inactive as they report being now are explored in this AARP telephone survey of 1,011 age 18+ individuals. (9 pages)

State Profiles: Reforming the Health Care System 2005, 13th Ed.  / Research Report
February 2006— The latest available data on close to 100 health-related indicators for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are provided by this 13th edition of the AARP Public Policy Institute data book by Lynda Flowers, Leigh Gross, Patricia Kuo and Shelly-Ann Sinclair. (298 pages) (Publication ID: D18258)

The State of 50+ America 2006  / Research Report
January 2006— While the overall quality of life of Americans age 50 and older has improved over the past decade, AARP’s third annual “report card” on the status of their economic, health and social well-being finds that their situation has become less favorable during the most recent year. (52 pages) (Publication ID: D18469)

AARP South Dakota Members Age 75+ Survey: Needs and Service Use  / Research Report
July 2005— AARP MEMBER OPINION RESEARCH: Health and disability status, insurance coverage, nutrition, physical fitness, need for household task assistance, financial ability to pay for prescription drugs, and degree of isolation among the eldest are examined in this 2005 survey of 1,589 age 75+ AARP South Dakota members. (27 pages)

Obesity in OECD Countries:Trends, Economic Consequences and Possible Policy Initiatives  / News Release
January 2005— AARP Global Aging Program Idea Exchange with Berglind Ásgeirsdóttir, OECD Deputy Secretary-General

Nutrition Labeling at Fast-Food and Other Chain Restaurants  / Research Report
July 2004— The policy implications of nutritional labeling of restaurant food are discussed in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Sandra B. Eskin and Sharon Hermanson. (6 pages) (Publication ID: IB71)

Adequate Literacy and Health Literacy: Prerequisites for Informed Health Care Decision Making  / Research Report
June 2004— Inadequate health literacy skills can seriously impair a consumers’ ability to deal effectively with the health care system. Strategies to address this prevalent but often unrecognized public policy issue are discussed in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Joyce Dubow. (11 pages) (Publication ID: IB70)

AHRQ Announces Booklet to Help Older Adults Stay Healthy  / News Release
April 2004— The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released a booklet for older adults called The Pocket Guide to Staying Healthy at 50+.

Kaiser Conversations on Health with Bill Novelli  / Speech
March 2004— The Kaiser Family Foundation hosts AARP CEO Bill Novelli on March 3rd in the second of the new series, "Kaiser Conversations on Health." The live webcast takes places 12 p.m. ET on March 3.

Synthesis of AARP Research in Physical Activity: 1999-2003  / Research Report
January 2004— Data from five studies on physical activity show that most Americans age 50+ know the value of physical activity, but many barriers, both real and perceived, deter them from action. (15 pages)

Tennessee Physical Fitness: A Survey of AARP Members  / Research Report
September 2003— AARP MEMBER OPINION RESEARCH: Findings from a survey of 1,479 Tennessee AARP members about the importance of staying healthy, whether or not they currently exercise, how they exercise, reasons for not exercising, and interest in volunteering for physical fitness programs in their community. (37 pages)

2003 Hawaii Health and Fitness: A Survey of AARP Members  / Research Report
June 2003— AARP MEMBER OPINION RESEARCH: Findings from a mail survey of AARP members in Hawai’i exploring their attitudes about physical activity or exercise, as well as their ability to engage in exercise, their exercise behavior, their reasons for exercising, and barriers to starting an exercise routine experienced by them. (35 pages)

Exercise Attitudes and Behaviors: A Survey of Midlife and Older Adults  / Research Report
May 2002— How satisfied with their lives are midlife and older Americans? What are their perceptions about health and physical activity? What stands in the way of their being more physically active? These and other aspects of health and exercise are explored in this AARP telephone survey of 2,000 age 50-79 individuals, conducted in late 2001 and early 2002. (121 pages)

Dietary Supplements and Older Consumers  / Research Report
December 2001— Findings from a recent survey about the use of dietary supplements by older consumers and their views on safety and labeling issues are discussed in this AARP Public Policy Institute Data Digest by Sandra B. Eskin. (8 pages) (Publication ID: DD66)

Health and Safety Issues in an Aging Workforce  / Research Report
May 2001— Does an aging workforce mean more workers at risk of costly illness or injury? In this AARP Public Policy Institute issue brief, Sara E. Rix explores this question and examines mitigating measures employers can take to prevent problems. (16 pages) (Publication ID: IB49)

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Road Less Traveled?  / Research Report
November 2000— In 1997, 83 million (or 42 percent of all) Americans--many over age 50--used some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief, Craig Caplan and Kelly Griffin provide a policy-oriented overview of CAM. (14 pages) (Publication ID: IB46)

The Nature and Extent of Medical Injury in Older Patients  / Research Report
September 2000— The high incidence of preventable medical treatment-related injuries among patients age 65 and older is examined in this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Paper by Jeffery Rothschild of Harvard School of Medicine and Lucian Leape of Harvard School of Public Health. (83 pages) (Publication ID: 2000-17)

Alternative Medicine: An Overview  / Fact Sheet
May 1998— This AARP Public Policy Institute Fact Sheet by Craig Caplan provides a broad overview of alternative medicine; it briefly explains what alternative medicine is, defines popular types of alternative treatments, and discusses insurance coverage of alternative medicine and related state mandates. (4 pages) (Publication ID: FS67)