Research
Joint statement calls for better inclusion of older adults in research
More must be done to include people over 75 in health research, according to a new joint statement of intent backed by us and 40 of the UK’s leading health funders and charities.
We are calling for unnecessary and arbitrary age restrictions on who can take part in research to end, adding our voice to those of organisations including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Age UK, Cancer Research UK, Alzheimer's Society and the Medical Research Council.
Greater inclusion
Opportunities to take part in studies must be widened, and we want to see greater inclusion of older adults in health and care research.
Research teams sometimes set upper age limits due to worries about frailty, or concerns that someone’s age or health conditions may reduce the potential effect of the drug or device being studied.
Currently, people as young as 65 can be restricted from taking part in some studies conducting vital research.
But the joint statement says that in some cases excluding older adults can be seen as “unethical, often leading to research not being representative of the groups who have most disease”.
Long-term conditions
Almost half of people aged 75 and over have two or more long‑term or chronic conditions - known as ‘multi-morbidities’.
But data over the last five years from NIHR shows only 15.2 per cent of participants were over the age of 75 at recruitment.
As the number of people aged 65 and over in the UK is projected to grow to over 17 million by 2045, the need to include older people in studies is more important than ever before.
Routinely underrepresented
The statement of intent follows the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual 2023 report on healthy ageing, which highlighted that older people, particularly those living with multiple long-term conditions, are routinely underrepresented in clinical trials and research studies.
This is despite multiple long-term conditions becoming increasingly common and something that many people in the population are likely to live with as they age.
Isolating diseases for research purposes does not reflect the reality of experience and treatment of an ageing population.
Unacceptable gaps
Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “We are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease as we age. But in excluding older people from research, we’ve been left with unacceptable gaps in the evidence backing our tests and treatments.
“We must ensure the next generation of tests and treatments are safe and effective for everyone who might one day need them. We hope this important statement starts driving change so that older people are fairly represented in research.”
Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “Despite often having the highest levels of need, older adults are frequently left out of research that directly affects their care.
"This exclusion can lead to gaps in evidence, less effective treatments, and care that isn’t properly tailored to those who use services the most. As the population ages, it’s essential that research reflects the people it aims to serve.”
You can find out more about taking part in research on the NIHR Be Part of Research website or downloading the NHS app.