The Scientific Senate of the Dan Voiculesulescucu Foundation for the Development of Romania, together with the Medical Sciences Section of the Romanian Academy, President Acad. Victor Voicu, announces the organization of the conference "Longevity Map of Romania" on October 9, 2024, at the Romanian Academy Library, Ion Heliade Rădulescu Hall.
At the event, experts from the Scientific Senate will present the preliminary results of the inaugural national research project, "Longevity Map of Romania." This project has identified the localities with the highest concentration of long-living seniors in Romania. The study is structured in two main components. The first is a quantitative one, which involves the socio-demographic documentation of people over the age of 85. The second is a qualitative one, which aims to assess the genetic and behavioural factors that contribute to their longevity. In the research, aspects related to biomarkers of longevity, biological age assessment and socio-anthropological behaviours of seniors in the most long-lived regions were investigated.
The results will be presented in detail at the conference, which will be attended by researchers and experts in the fields of public health, gerontology and anthropology. At the same time, a web application will be launched which will outline the "Longevity Map of Romania" and will highlight the top five localities nationwide according to the percentage of seniors living long, as well as the top three localities in each county, thus providing a complete picture of their distribution at the national level.
In Romania, the proportion of the population aged 65 and above is currently 19.5%, with projections indicating an anticipated increase to 31% by 2050. The National Institute of Statistics reports that there are currently approximately 370,309 individuals aged 85 and above in Romania, with 106,838 of them being 90 years or older. These figures underscore the necessity for a more detailed examination of the genetic and lifestyle factors that contribute to longevity in the "blue zones" of Romania, where people tend to live longer and healthier lives.
It is evident from empirical studies that a significant proportion of the elderly population in Romania, exceeding 80%, is afflicted with chronic ailments such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. This underscores the necessity to consider longevity not merely in terms of the number of years lived, but also in terms of the quality of life experienced. The healthy life expectancy at the age of 65 is 17.7 years for women and 13.4 years for men in Romania, which is below the EU average. This highlights the necessity for policies that support active and healthy ageing. The necessity for this distinctive initiative emerges within the context of Romania's ranking at 33rd place in Europe and 95th globally in terms of life expectancy, with an average of 77.8 years, as indicated in the Eurostat report of 2023.
Conferința va avea loc pe 9 octombrie 2024, începând cu ora 10:00, la Biblioteca Academiei Române, Sala Ion Heliade Rădulescu. Proiectul „Harta Longevității” nu este doar un studiu de cercetare, ci și un potențial instrument pentru dezvoltarea de politici publice menite să sprijine îmbătrânirea activă și sănătoasă a populației.
