A research agenda for ageing in China in the 21st century (2nd edition): Focusing on basic and translational research, long-term care, policy and social networks

• Published in: Ageing research reviews 2020-12, Vol.64, p.101174-101174, Article 101174
• Main Authors: Fang, Evandro F., Xie, Chenglong, Schenkel, Joseph A., Wu, Chenkai, Long, Qian, Cui, Honghua, Aman, Yahyah, Frank, Johannes, Liao, Jing, Zou, Huachun, Wang, Ninie Y., Wu, Jing, Liu, Xiaoting, Li, Tao, Fang, Yuan, Niu, Zhangming, Yang, Guang, Hong, Jiangshui, Wang, Qian, Chen, Guobing, Li, Jun, Chen, Hou-Zao, Kang, Lin, Su, Huanxing, Gilmour, Brian C., Zhu, Xinqiang, Jiang, Hong, He, Na, Tao, Jun, Leng, Sean Xiao, Tong, Tanjun, Woo, Jean
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ageing policy; Aging; China - epidemiology; Dementia; Gerontologi, medicinsk/hälsovetenskaplig inriktning; Gerontology, specialising in Medical and Health Sciences; Humans; Inflammageing; Long-Term Care; Oral ageing; Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified; Policy; Quality of Life; Review; Sexually transmitted diseases; Social Networking; Square dancing; Translational Research, Biomedical; Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap
• ISSN: 1568-1637; 1872-9649; 1872-9649
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2020.101174

•Covered broad fields of ageing in China: statistics, basic and translational research, long-term care, policy and social networks.•Provided more detailed numerical updates of the ageing challenges in China.•New features of the aging-related challenges, e.g., oral ageing and STDs in the elderly in China.•A new and independent section on immune ageing.•We also mentioned the COVID-19-induced death in the Chinese elderly. One of the key issues facing public healthcare is the global trend of an increasingly ageing society which continues to present policy makers and caregivers with formidable healthcare and socio-economic challenges. Ageing is the primary contributor to a broad spectrum of chronic disorders all associated with a lower quality of life in the elderly. In 2019, the Chinese population constituted 18 % of the world population, with 164.5 million Chinese citizens aged 65 and above (65+), and 26 million aged 80 or above (80+). China has become an ageing society, and as it continues to age it will continue to exacerbate the burden borne by current family and public healthcare systems. Major healthcare challenges involved with caring for the elderly in China include the management of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), physical frailty, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, with emerging challenges such as providing sufficient dental care, combating the rising prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among nursing home communities, providing support for increased incidences of immune diseases, and the growing necessity to provide palliative care for the elderly. At the governmental level, it is necessary to make long-term strategic plans to respond to the pressures of an ageing society, especially to establish a nationwide, affordable, annual health check system to facilitate early diagnosis and provide access to affordable treatments. China has begun work on several activities to address these issues including the recent completion of the of the Ten-year Health-Care Reform project, the implementation of the Healthy China 2030 Action Plan, and the opening of the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders. There are also societal challenges, namely the shift from an extended family system in which the younger provide home care for their elderly family members, to the current trend in which young people are increasingly migrating towards major cities for work, increasing reliance on nursing homes to compensate, esp