ABOUT QASP

QASP stands for Quality of life and Aging in Spain, Sweden and Portugal. It is a research project that studies the quality of life for people above the age of 50, looking specifically at participation and health. The project takes place over 3 years and uses a survey that collected data over 6 years.

Who is behind QASP?

There is a  team of researchers leading the project. Here is a list of people, organized by their institutions.

ISCIII:

• M. João Forjaz

• Carmen Rodríguez-Blázquez

• Alba Ayala

Cintesis:

• Oscar Ribeiro

• Lia Araújo

• Laetitia Teixeira

IEGD-CSIC:

• Fermina Rojo-Pérez

• Vicente Rodríguez-Rodríguez

• Gloria Fernández-Mayoralas

Karolinska Institutet and REDISSEC:

• Amaia Calderón

Staff in training:

• Victor Quirós

• Marta Cimas

UC3M:

• Marisil Agulló

Why is this project being done?
The population of the aging people is growing as mortality rates drop. It is predicted that, in the future, there would be more that 300 older people for every 100 young people. This is a very large ratio and shows that the lives of the aging population should be maintained and bettered, so as to improve the quality of life. This project would look at the trends in participation, health, and quality of life to provide a foundation to improve all of these aspects.

How is this project being done?
As stated before, the researchers are using information from a survey sent out to people above the age of 50 in Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. To visualize the plan of action, a diagram was created with the work plans. This diagram is visible at the top.

When studying the variables, following the objectives, analysing and interpreting the results, a gender perspective will be considered.  The differences between the quality of life for men and women older than 50, in regards to participation and health, are in the list of key points to look at.