APHNC Activities
Healthy ageing in the Asia Pacific region
Virtually all societies are experiencing a demographic change towards the aged as life expectancy at birth and at various ages increases. Compression of morbidity towards the end of longer life spans is increasingly possible with lifestyle measures. These are part of the Centre’s research programmes, especially with food and physical activity. The Centre coordinates the international Food Habits in Later Life project.
Culturally-sensitive, innovative food and nutrition science for future health
Members of the Centre have in part, pioneered a new food and nutrition science, based on phytochemicals. It opens up an understanding of new food-health relationships with areas of health like the menopause, cognitive function in later life and inflammatory disease.
Cross-cultural health promotion
Centre staff members have been actively involved for about two decades in studies of ethnic health, notably Chinese, South Asian, Indonesian, Japanese and Greek. These studies have provided an improved based for health care professional education, for health promotion programmes directed at particular cultures, and for health care delivery which is culturally sensitive.
The nature of evidence for health care in Asia Pacific settings
Knowledge bases for health care are of various kinds, including the contemporary clinical trial approach. The evaluation and integration of traditional knowledge systems with biomedical science is one of the Centre's interest.
Telehealth with a focus on community development
New opportunities for community health development through information technology are emerging, even at the village level and within newly defined interest groups, whether based on social, geographical, occupational, age, health or other communalities. These can be studied and fostered throughout the Asia Pacific region where there is acknowledgment of cultural difference and synergy.