Newsletter March 2021
ISBNPA Ageing SIG
Welcome from the Ageing SIG Co-chairs
Dear members of the ISBNPA Ageing SIG,

We hope you are all doing well.

There is some exciting news that we wanted to share with you. First of all, our friend and great co-chair Janet Boekhout has decided to step aside and leave the role to someone else. In this regard, we are very happy to announce that Anne Tiedemann is the new co-chair of the Ageing SIG! You will see a brief description of her and her research interests below.

Janet wanted to send us a brief goodbye message:

Dear Ageing SIG-members,
After almost two years as co-chair of the Ageing SIG, it’s time for me to hand over the baton to Anne. Being co-chair was a great experience in which I got to meet so many of our SIG-members: I would like to thank you all for contributing to our SIG. Thank you Maria, for your positive vibe as a co-chair. And great that you are stepping in, Anne: I’m sure you’ll do a great job! Thank you all, and hopefully we’ll meet at the next annual meeting!
Best wishes,
Janet

Goodbye Janet and thank you very much for your hard work and enthusiasm!

In this newsletter, we will discuss the Decade of Healthy Ageing and how we can engage as a SIG, we will also talk about the recommendations for older adults within the new World Health Organization guidelines for Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. Our communication team will give us an insight into the social media channels that we could use to better communicate between members. Finally, we will introduce a new section; since one of the aims of the Ageing SIG is to enhance networking, offer post doc positions, job opportunities, and research exchanges, we would like to use the newsletter to invite one or two Early Career Researchers to talk about their PhD topic and future expectations. We would love you to suggest PhD students for future newsletters! Please send us your suggestions to: ageing_sig@isbnpa.org

We are also very excited about the upcoming 2021 ISBNPA XChange that will give us all the chance to exchange our research ideas and share our experiences while having a great time. Outstanding keynote speakers and symposia, and very interesting presentations and Q&A sessions will be offered. We have planned an Ageing SIG meeting on June 7th at 9am (CET), 6pm (Sydney, Australia). We are aware that it is not a suitable time for all of the members, but we aim to change the schedule every year so that it is more suitable for the different time zones.

We hope you'll enjoy reading this newsletter! Should you have any comments, please let us know: ageing_sig@isbnpa.org

Best wishes,
Anne Tiedemann and Maria Giné-Garriga
Co-chairs of ISBNPA Ageing SIG
Introducing Associate Professor Anne Tiedemann, our new Ageing SIG co-chair
Anne Tiedemann has recently joined the team as Ageing SIG co-chair after the resignation of Janet Boekhout.

Anne is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney. She leads the Healthy Ageing theme within the Physical Activity, Ageing and Disability research group. Anne has a background in Exercise Science and obtained her PhD in 2007 for research that developed and evaluated a fall risk assessment tool for use in clinical settings.

Anne leads an innovative research program involving large pragmatic randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews to generate robust evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of scalable programs to increase physical activity, that will prevent falls and promote health in people aged 50+. Her research tests policy and practice-relevant solutions that can be embedded into existing services and settings for widespread population health impact.

Two of Anne’s current projects include the first trial internationally to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of yoga for preventing falls in people aged 60+, and research testing the effect on physical activity of an online information and support program tailored to the needs of women aged 50+ years.

Anne was a member of the guideline development group for the recently launched WHO global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour, contributing expertise on physical activity for older adults, in particular. She is Associate Editor for the British Journal of Sports Medicine and for the Journal of Ageing and Physical Activity and is on the Editorial Board for the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Anne lives in Sydney, Australia, and when she is not busy working, or managing the activities of her two teenagers, she likes to be running, playing soccer or swimming in the ocean. Anne can be contacted at anne.tiedemann@sydney.edu.au or twitter handle is @AnneTiedemann1.
The Decade of Healthy Ageing
On the 14th of December 2020 the United Nations proclaimed 2021-2030 the Decade of Healthy Ageing, with the aim of improving the lives of older people, their families and their communities. The Decade of Healthy Ageing will focus attention on the challenges and benefits presented by population ageing and the need to ensure that the rights and needs of older adults are being met by the whole of society. The issues facing older people have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, making this focus particularly timely. 

The four specific focus areas for attention within this initiative aim to:
1.     change how we think, feel and act towards age and ageing;
2.     facilitate the ability of older people to participate in and contribute to their communities and society;
3.     deliver integrated care and primary health services that are responsive to the needs of the individual; and
4.     provide access to long-term care for older people who need it.

This Decade of concerted global action on Healthy Ageing is likely to provide valuable opportunities for the ISBNPA, and in particular Ageing SIG members, to focus the attention of governments, funders, and academia to devote resources, and urgency to the issues facing older people. With innovative and timely solutions, much can be done not only add years to life, but importantly life to years as well.

More information about the Decade of Healthy Ageing initiative can be found at:
2020 World Health Organization Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour guidelines 
The end of 2020 also brought with it the launch of the 2020 WHO global Guidelines on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour. A culmination of 18 months of work from a group of 40 scientists and WHO personnel from 6 continents, extensive public consultation, and a rigorous internal review by the WHO. The infographic below, developed by the Spanish General Council of Physical and Sports Education, is a nice visual summary of the recommendations, with those relating to older adults shown at the bottom. 

Importantly, in addition to specific guidance on the amount and type of physical activity needed to confer substantial health benefits, the new 2020 Guidelines emphasise that any amount of physical activity is better than none, even when the recommended thresholds are not met. This is a very positive message and an advance on previous guidelines, since many in the population currently participate in far less than the desirable minimum, including many older people and those with chronic conditions. This change comes about due to the removal of the previous requirement for physical activity to be done in continuous 10-minute bouts to be health enhancing.

There are other notable changes to the WHO Guidelines with respect to older adults. Firstly, the recommendation that all older adults, rather than only those with poor mobility, as per the 2010 recommendations, should take part in multicomponent exercise that targets balance and strength training, at moderate or greater intensity on 3 or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and prevent falls. This reflects the clear evidence that such exercise is crucial for preventing falls and promoting function in all older adults. Also, the advice to limit sedentary time at all ages, including for older adults, is a new addition to the Guidelines and reflects the growing body of evidence of the benefits of replacing sitting with movement of any intensity.

Physical activity researchers, policy makers and health professionals working at the ‘coal face’ now have the important job of ensuring these recommendations are implemented into practice in a variety of settings to maximise their public health impact.


The BJSM and IJBNPA published special issues to accompany the release of the WHO Guidelines, linked below:
Twitter launch of the Ageing SIG
Social Media Alert! The ISBNPA Ageing SIG has a new Twitter account. Please follow us at @isbnpa_ageing.
At this site we will be sharing new research findings, relevant funding opportunities, and job postings. If you have suggestions for other items you would like to be communicated, please reach out to Libby Richards (earichar@purdue.edu). Our goal is to connect with our members in the most feasible and effective way possible. 
We also invite you to tag/share with your extended networks – the more like-minded followers to exchange information and opportunities with, the better!
Call for members to lead the Newsletter team!
During last year’s Ageing SIG meeting we announced that our colleagues Lucy Lewis and Delfien Van Dyck who were in charge of the Ageing SIG Newsletter team stepped down from the role due to other very exciting involvement with the ISBNPA. We are looking for members who would like to be part of the Ageing SIG Committee and help us out with the Newsletter. Should you be interested, please contact us at: ageing_sig@isbnpa.org
New section:
SPOTLIGHT ON AN EARLY STAGE RESEARCHER
Since one of the aims of the Ageing SIG is to enhance networking, advertise post doc positions, job opportunities and research exchanges, we would like to use the newsletter to invite one or two Early Stage Researchers to talk about their PhD topic and future expectations. Could you suggest any of your PhD students for our next issue? Please send them to: ageing_sig@isbnpa.org.

Geraldine Wallbank is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, University of Sydney, Australia. Her research topic is: Strategies to promote physical activity in middle age to promote independence in older age.
Geraldine has a clinical background as a physiotherapist and over 10 years’ clinical experience, working predominantly in adult rehabilitation. She can be contacted at: geraldine.wallbank@sydney.edu.au
Geraldine Wallbank
Tell us about your area of research for your PhD. What attracted you to this area of research?
Promoting health and independence in older age by being physically active in the middle age years is intuitive and a panacea for preventing disability and disease, but the reality is that this isn’t happening. Changing behaviours is complex and life-demands can be complex, and people can benefit from support. These are the matters that intrigue me. I’m testing scalable strategies for supporting women in their middle age years to be physically active through quantitative and qualitative methods.

Have you had any funding to support your PhD?
I feel it’s a privilege to undertake a PhD, and it was serendipitous I was awarded a scholarship prior enrolling. I have a casual research assistant role too which has been another source of funding but has also given me valuable exposure to working on different projects, with different teams and develop other research skills.

What have been your most exciting achievements to date?
Every stage towards completing a research projects feels worthy of celebrating, but it’s exciting to contribute to the body of knowledge and practice through conference presentations and publications. I’ve also established a Higher Degree Research(HDR) students group in our department for peer support and collaborating, and it’s been exciting to see the keen uptake by our HDR students and appreciation that we are stronger when we work together.

Most challenging aspect of doing a PhD?
Any researcher can relate to the keenness of seeing a project come to fruition. But I’m learning that patience is important! Not only in all the submission forms associated with a project, but also in time management, and in my depth of learning of writing, understanding the research environment for example. Like many people, I juggle the busy demands of family life so getting the balance “right” can be tricky when you’re absorbed in research work. I’d like to grow to be mindfully present wherever I am!

Any tips for others completing a PhD?
I have much to learn, but a few are:
·      Each PhD journey is different. This should be unsurprising considering the breadth of topics, methodologies, and our own backgrounds. Learn from others but don’t compare yourself to others. Within your department, there are ways you can contribute that are unique to who you are.
·      Your supervisor is your expert advisor. Their role is not to supervise every aspect of your PhD, as the name suggests. So, maximise your time with them by taking the lead and being organised.
·      Be kind to yourself. Remember, it’s the first time you’ve done a PhD and you’re learning the ropes. Be realistic and patient (life-long lessons in themselves). Find boundaries and balance to have time with your tribe of family-friends-community and other things you enjoy. This will give you perspective and help you be productive.
·      Be open to the possibilities. Your original research proposal will evolve; you will be inspired and learn new and unexpected skills; you will become aware of different career pathways.

What are the most desirable characteristics a good supervisor should have?
Supervisors are so influential to the life of a PhD candidate. I know from first-hand experience that a good supervisor:
-         Inspires excellence
-         Has perspective and gives wise counsel
-         Is approachable and takes time to get to know you
-         Is encouraging but honest
-         Is on your side and wants to see you grow

What do you like to do for fun?
My ideal day would comprise of soaking up the beauty and awe of nature while bushwalking, cycling, going to the beach, followed by a massive coffee and visit to the bakery. Then a chunk of quality time with family and friends, sharing the enrichment of their interests, finished off with tinkling some tunes on the piano.

What do you hope to do when you’ve completed your PhD?
Celebrate! This still feels a little way off, but whether my pathway is academic or non-academic, I’d like to be part impacting public health in a prevention role through innovating projects and solutions.
Would love to hear of any opportunities!