GSA M. POWELL LAWTON AWARD LECTURE: USING SCIENCE AS EVIDENCE TO INFORM PRACTICES AND POLICIES—EXAMPLES FROM NUTRITION AND AGING

摘要

As a scholar committed to the goal of translating scientific evidence into real world applications designed to improve the lives of older persons, M. Powell Lawton confronted multiple challenges along the way to fully realizing his goal. The challenges he encountered in making seminal contributions to gerontological treatment, service, and policy include those related to the methods, validity, and scope of research that are not unique to either the environmental and aging studies in which he was a pioneer or the twentieth century in which he lived. In fact, one might speculate that within the past decade: 1) the greater role of the media in the communication of science to the public, 2) the increased politicization of science (especially as it relates to nutrition), and 3) the decreased resources available for aging services may have amplified those challenges. This talk will address challenges and opportunities related to applied gerontological research with examples used from the field of nutrition and aging. Two themes will be emphasized: 1) In the absence of scientific evidence, why are unproven practices and policies adopted and maintained? And 2) In the presence of scientific evidence, why are decision makers unwilling to implement the results of science that could benefit the lives of older adults?