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Project

MOVE-AGE: European doctorate program on prevention of mobility loss with ageing.

By 2050, the number of people in the EU aged 65 and above will have grown by 70% and the number of people aged over 80 by 170%. This raises an important challenge to promote the health and ability of the ageing population to live independently. Mobility is key in facing this challenge both as a determinant of the ability to live independently and as a factor in promoting health and quality of life. First, mobility is to a large extent dependent on musculoskeletal and neurological health, which may deteriorate even in healthy elderly. Second, physical activity is of paramount importance in the prevention of age-related disorders, whether it is cardiovascular disorders such as stroke and ischemic heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, or metabolis disorders. The Joint Doctorate Program 'MOVE-AGE', is funded by the European Commission as part of the Erasmus Mundus program. In the MOVE-AGE program approximately 50 PhD students will receive a fellowhip to study how mobility can be maintained during ageing. Within MOVE-AGE we will perform translational research to generate knowledge and to train a new generation of scientists to address this problem. Each fellow will be supervised by researchers from at least two of the three participating institutes: MOVE of VU University Amsterdam, the IRM of Manchester Metropolitan University and the Doctoral School Exercise and Physical Activity in Health and Disease of the K.U.Leuven (14 investigators) (www.move-age.eu).
Date:1 Oct 2010 →  31 Oct 2017
Keywords:Physical activity, Rehabilitation, Falls, Postural control, Aging, Mobility
Disciplines:Orthopaedics, Human movement and sports sciences, Rehabilitation sciences