A joint statement has been signed by over 40 UK health funders and charities, to improve understanding of disease and develop better health interventions.
The joint statement sets out a shared commitment to:
- actively support the inclusion of older adults in research
- challenge unjustified exclusion, particularly where older adults have complex health conditions
- ensure that research is designed with equity in mind and better reflects the diversity of the UK.
The statement builds on the Chief Medical Officer’s annual report on healthy ageing, which highlighted that older people are routinely underrepresented in clinical trials and research studies. Older people who are living with multiple long-term conditions are particularly underrepresented.
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, said: “Despite often having the highest levels of need, older adults are frequently left out of research that directly affects their care. This exclusion can lead to gaps in evidence, less effective treatments, and care that isn’t properly tailored to those who use services the most. As the population ages, it’s essential that research reflects the people it aims to serve.”
Funders are encouraging researchers to design studies that reflect the diversity of the UK population and avoid arbitrary age limits. Including older people more routinely in all stages of health research, from early-stage biomedical research through to clinical trials, is essential.
This inclusion will lead to a more integrated understanding of the complexity of ill-health and how ageing influences disease development and treatment response. The approach will help ensure that future prevention interventions, diagnostics, therapies and care models are effective for those most likely to use them.
Researchers are expected to embed diversity and inclusion into the design of studies involving human participants, samples or data. This includes considering characteristics such as age, sex, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic position when designing proposals, recruiting participants and conducting research.
Professor Patrick Chinnery, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Lead for Health, Ageing and Wellbeing, and Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council, said: “Tackling health inequalities and understanding how to keep people healthier for longer is a key part of UKRI’s strategic theme of securing better health, ageing and wellbeing.I am pleased to sign this statement, ensuring older people are included in research and clinical trials, which will allow us to address important challenges including multiple long-term conditions and poor mental health through advancements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Inclusion of older people in research, including clinical trials, will lead to the development of more effective clinical, social, and public health strategies to address age-related health issues and improve the quality of life for our ageing population.
Relative to the proportion of disease, older adults are disproportionally underrepresented in research.
Excluding older adults from relevant research is unethical and often leads to research not being representative of the groups who have most disease. It can result in treatments that are less effective for the very people who most need support.
As a research funder community, we will commit to actively supporting the inclusion of older adults in research, particularly where health conditions have a particular impact on this group.
Furthermore, we will challenge any unwarranted exclusion of older adults or those with long-term conditions (multimorbidity) from research.
These exclusions are rarely justified and fail to align with the principles of equity and scientific excellence.
With a renewed commitment to addressing this area of health equity, we can make a difference in ensuring that our work addresses their health and care needs, aiming to enhance outcomes across the UK.