AGEING AND HEALTH IN SUB-SAHARA AFRICA

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries have witnessed steady improvements in life expectancy in the last decades. These added years of life have led to an increasing number of older persons in the population of SSA. Today, 4.8% percent of the population is older than 60 years and this share is expected to rise to 7.4% by 2050. This seemingly low share, caused by high fertility levels, masks large absolute numbers. By 2050 158 million persons aged 60 years and older are projected to live in the region. The increase in the number of older adults will create challenges for policy makers and Sub-Saharan African societies as a whole. Of particular concern is the vulnerability of older persons regarding ill-health, access to health services and public and private care arrangements.
This special issue is centered around the three priority areas of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing: older persons and development, advancing health and well-being into old age, and ensuring enabling and supportive environments. We invite original and review articles relevant to these priority areas and the key topics mentioned below. The special issue also welcomes contributions from the Healthy Ageing in Sub-Sahara Africa workshop to be held in Entebbe Uganda from 19-23 February 2023.

Key topics of interest for this special issue include:
1. Health and well-being
2. Cross-country and regional health differences
3. Inequalities at older ages
4. Changing family dynamics in ageing societies
5. Living environments in ageing societies
6. Public and private support needs and provision
7. Comparative research with new datasets

The Call is open from 20 December 2022 until 31 August 2023.

IJPH double-blind peer-review rules and author’s guidelines apply. Submissions must comply with IJPH rules for article type, length and format (please consult the information for authors on the IJPH website).
Please submit the full manuscript. Articles accepted for publication will be published in the online special issue about 3 weeks after acceptance.
IJPH publishes Gold Open Access. Article processing charges (APCs) apply. The GLOBEQUITY program of IJPH offers a limited number of discounts and full waivers for first authors from low-and middle-income countries.

Contact: IJPH Editorial Office: ijph@swisstph.ch

Keywords: Healthy ageing, Sub-Saharan Africa, living arrangements, disability, non- communicable diseases, ageism