NC Healthy Aging Research Network

Conducting Research and Research Translation

The NCHAN is an eight-year Special Interest Project (SIP) funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). For the past four years, the Institute’s efforts in conducting research and research translation activities, and in building healthy aging partnerships, including the NC Healthy Aging Coalition, have been organized under the auspices of the NC Healthy Aging Research Network (NCHAN).

Mission

The mission of NCHAN is to work with national, state and local partners to:

• conduct research to better understand the determinants of healthy aging in older adult populations;
• identify interventions that are effective in enhancing the health and quality of life of older adults; and
• assist in the translation of such research into sustainable community-based programs throughout the state.

Investigators and Advisory Board

Mary Altpeter, PhD [mary_altpeter@unc.edu]
Senior Scientist, UNC Institute on Aging and Principal Investigator of the NCHAN

Rebecca Hunter [rhh@med.unc.edu]
Research Associate, UNC-CH Center for Aging and Health and Co-Principal Investigator of the NCHAN

The NCHAN Community Advisory Board (CAB) is composed of University researchers and educators, government agencies, senior advocates and community partners, including many members of the NC Healthy Aging Coalition.

Work in progress

Working with various advisory board members, highlights of NCHAN ongoing research and research translation activities include:

• supporting the establishment of the NC Healthy Aging Coalition and providing links state and national evidence-based health promotion and disease prevention research and provider educational materials
• creating and disseminating information about healthy aging through numerous channels including articles, local BeAlive physical activity guides, community education brochures, presentations at conferences, and state symposia
• providing technical assistance to the National Council on Aging’s Center for Healthy Aging for website design and educational materials for implementing evidence-based health promotion programs
• partnering with the NC Division of Public Health and Division of Aging and Adult Services for successful grant applications to the CDC to create a model of outreach for implementing the People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE) program for African American Elders in Cumberland County
• partnering with Durham, Henderson, Northampton, and Wake Counties to implement evidence-based health promotion programs, conduct demonstration studies, and coordinate health promotion campaigns to promote physical activity among older adults
• Partnering with the Orange County Senior Centers and the Triangle United Way to develop process indicators and outcome measures for use by aging services programs, and in particular, for health promotion programs.

At the national level, the NCHAN is part of the larger nine-campus national Healthy Aging Research Network (HAN). The nine universities include: Texas A & M University, University of California, Berkeley; University of Colorado; University of Illinois, Chicago; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Pittsburgh; University of South Carolina; University of Washington and West Virginia University. For more details, see the HAN brochure.

Accomplishments:

• developed a definition of healthy aging
• adopted a model to guide healthy aging research and interventions strategies
• set a public health-focused research agenda
• prepared a comprehensive evidence-based review and statement of the role of public health organizations in addressing physical activity for older adult populations
• worked with the NCOA, CDC, NASUA and CMS to identify criteria and examples of best practices in aging services in information and referral for health promotion
• prepared numerous publications and conference presentations

Work in progress

• creating a web-based tool to access community-based physical activity programs for older adults
• with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding, studying environmental affects and physical activity capacity on levels of walking and physical activity among older adults
• working with the NCOA to study best practices in physical activity programs offered by aging services providers
• contributing to another CDC-funded literature review project on the determinants of, and evidence-based interventions for, addressing depression among older adults
• through partnerships with national organizations including the Administration on Aging, the Chronic Disease Directors, the National Association of State Units on Aging, the National Council on the Aging, and the American Society on Aging, design educational materials for research translation and dissemination to the public health and aging services provider networks
• with Retirement Research Foundation and the CDC funding, planning and implementing three “state of the art” researcher/provider conferences on best evidence in aging and physical activity, depression and nutrition
• collaborating with the CDC, NIH and Alzheimer’s Association to plan “Healthy Brain” community-based interventions for implementation by aging services providers
  

Visit the national HAN web site for more information.