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Ingredients for a long, healthy life: A social perspective - Stanford Medicine
As life expectancy steadily increases worldwide and the number of aging Americans overtakes the number of youth, some experts are asking: how do we prepare for a 100-year-long life, and what will that life look like?
Susan Golden, PhD, with the Stanford Center on Longevity and dciX (part of the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute) argues that emphasis on healthy lifestyles from a young age can make a massive difference and help "embed prevention into the system." With a background in biotech and public health, Golden is now focused on social innovations that can significantly change the way we spend the second 50 years of our lives.
The first step, Golden explained in an interview, is to enhance the role of primary-care physicians from a young age. Pediatricians can be thought of as "navigators" who can help children develop a lifestyle that will continue to benefit them 80 years later. Educators can also take action to significantly improve health and quality of life for people of all ages by incentivizing exercise and healthy habits. Workplaces can provide similar incentives for adult employees (Stanford's BeWell program is an example).
As life expectancy steadily increases worldwide and the number of aging Americans overtakes the number of youth, some experts are asking: how do we prepare for a 100-year-long life, and what will that life look like?
Susan Golden, PhD, with the Stanford Center on Longevity and dciX (part of the Stanford Distinguished Careers Institute) argues that emphasis on healthy lifestyles from a young age can make a massive difference and help "embed prevention into the system." With a background in biotech and public health, Golden is now focused on social innovations that can significantly change the way we spend the second 50 years of our lives.
The first step, Golden explained in an interview, is to enhance the role of primary-care physicians from a young age. Pediatricians can be thought of as "navigators" who can help children develop a lifestyle that will continue to benefit them 80 years later. Educators can also take action to significantly improve health and quality of life for people of all ages by incentivizing exercise and healthy habits. Workplaces can provide similar incentives for adult employees (Stanford's BeWell program is an example).