Global aging is leading to a rising chronic disease burden, including in the developing world. Chronic diseases are a major cause of poor health, disability and poverty as well as a major barrier to economic development in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding the full consequences of chronic diseases requires high-quality longitudinal data on chronic disease and its health and socioeconomic consequences. Healthcare interventions, in turn, may play an important role in mitigating the adverse health and socioeconomic consequences of chronic diseases and stimulating economic development in aging economies. Preventive measures that reduce exposure to behavioral risk factors are likely to be among the most cost-effective interventions to reduce the ill-health and economic burden arising from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

To date, our project has produced high policy relevant findings that were published in leading scientific journals such as the American Economic Review, Demography, Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, and Journal of Health Economics, as well as several top medical and public health journals.

Moreover, we have actively engaged with diverse stakeholders through international conferences and workshops convened in Sri Lanka (1, 2), the Philippines(1 ,  2 , 3), Malawi(1 , 2), and Switzerland(1). These events attracted participation from a spectrum of stakeholders, including NGOs, international organizations, and government officials from various ministries. For a comprehensive overview of our publications and outreach events, please refer to “Publications” and “News” tabs.”

This research project was funded by the Swiss Programme for Research on Global Issues for Development, a joint initiative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Swiss National Science Foundation.