AARP: Policy and Research Information for Professionals in Aging

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Disease Prevention

NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: Impact of Diet and Lifestyle Factors on Cancer Incidence  / Research Report
December 2007— Findings from the ground-breaking NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study of the relationship between diet, disease and death among 567,169 AARP members (340,148 men, 227,021 women) residing in California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, North Carolina, Louisiana, and metropolitan Atlanta and Detroit who were between the ages of 50 and 71 in 1995-96.

NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: Impact of Diet and Lifestyle Factors on Cancer Incidence  / Research Report
December 2007— Presents findings from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study on diet and lifestyle factors associated with cancer risk, grouped by type of cancer.

NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: Impact of Diet and Lifestyle Factors on Cancer Incidence  / Research Report
December 2007— Presents findings from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study related to the cancer risks associated with certain lifestyle factors.

Flu and Pneumonia Survey  / Research Report
November 2007— Flu season is right around the corner, but less than one in seven respondents ages 50 and older report having received their flu shot this year. Not thinking they needed the shot, being concerned about possible side effects, or saying they never get the flu are the primary reasons respondents cite in this September 2007 telephone survey for not getting immunized. (22 pages)

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Influenza and Pneumococcal Immunization Rates among Medicare Beneficiaries  / Research Report
June 2007— Despite Medicare’s coverage of influenza and pneumonia vaccinations, immunization rates among beneficiaries is less than optimal, with even lower rates among African Americans and Hispanics, according to this 2007 AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief by Lynda Flowers that discusses factors contributing to immunization disparities and highlights federal and state initiatives to address them. (6 pages) (Publication ID: IB83)

Complementary and Alternative Medicine  / Research Report
January 2007— Why 69 percent of people using herbal supplements, meditation, chiropractic, acupuncture and other non-conventional products and practices don’t discuss it with their physicians is explored in this 2006 study by AARP and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). (21 pages)

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)

Five-City Panel Study on Walking: Waves One through Four  / Research Report
December 2005— How effective is the AARP walking campaign? To find out, surveys were conducted before, during, and after the AARP walking programs in five southern cities that share socio-economic characteristics. These four survey reports show changes over time in respondents’ knowledge, attitudes, awareness, and behavior regarding walking and other physical activity.

AARP Establishes a New Toll-Free Number to Report Flu Shot Price Gouging and Offers Local Vaccine Information  / News Release
October 2004— AARP today announced a new 800 number to help members and other consumers fight back against price gouging for flu shots.

Experts: Burgeoning 50-plus Population Faces Potential Dental Crisis  / News Release
September 2004— AARP, through its subsidiary AARP Services, Inc., has teamed with Delta Dental Insurance Company to create the AARP Dental Insurance Plan and to launch a dental care initiative targeting those who are 50-plus.

Lifesaving Opportunities Missed: The Challenge of Vaccinating Older Americans for Pneumococcal Diseases and Influenza  / Research Report
October 2000— Why are many at-risk older Americans still unprotected against flu and some pneumonias? In this AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief, Kathleen Tschantz and Lisa Foley explore what can be done to overcome this prevention gap. (9 pages) (Publication ID: IB45)