Book Description

Excerpt from Nia Annual Report: October 1, 1977 Through September 30, 1978 The National Institute on Aging (nia) implemented its comprehensive research program during Fiscal Year 1978, its second full year of operation after an initial year that emphasized organization and planning. Collaboration was the theme as the Institute engaged itself in work that crossed many disciplinary lines in the study of the aging process, specific diseases that may occur in old age, and the social and economic context in which the elderly live. It was apparent that virtually no health or social concern was outside the range of nia research interests. The search for understanding of the aging process begins with research on the molecular and cellular building blocks of life. At the other end of the spectrum, the Institute conducts research into the social and behavioral characteristics of aging populations. Both types of research can help to improve the quality of life at all ages, including the later years. The concerns of the Institute, then, as presented in the research plan developed during Fiscal Year 1977, cover the entire continuum of life-both the fundamental processes and the unexpected events that occur along the way. The interdisciplinary nature of the Institute's work and the need for collaboration are illustrated by nutrition, a highly significant factor in many of the diseases and disabilities of the aged, as well as the health and well being of the general population. Nutrition is an integrative issue that goes beyond any one discipline; it is not exclusively a function of biology, medicine or the behavioral and social sciences, but depends upon each of them. The major National Institutes of Health effort in this area is shared by three Institutes - the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases; the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and nia - and supervised by the Nutrition Coordinating Committee. Nia earmarked during FY 1978 for support of clinical nutrition studies and it convened a national conference on the subject in June (see below for details on this and similar interdisciplinary conferences). About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.