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Epidemiologic-Ecological Models of Aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Eino M. Heikkinen
Eino M. Heikkinen
Affiliation:
University of Jyuäskylä
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Abstract

Model building in epidemiological-ecologic research on aging is hampered by the prevailing paradigm of standard empiricism, lack of knowledge about the biological origins and causes of aging and problems in differentiating the aging process from age-related diseases and disabilities. Consequently, the identification of associations or causal relations between risk factors, aging, diseases and disabilities suffers from a number of conceptual and methodological problems which sometimes can lead to research results which are absurd in the context of real life despite their formal correctness. The benefit of building theoretical models arises out of the necessity to construct an empirically sensible order of events which renders the research object intelligible. It is suggested that in the multifactorial epidemiological-ecologic aging research it might be useful to adopt and empirically test the concept of the “effective causal complex” instead of continuing, in many cases fruitless, attempts to define the effects of single risk factors on the associations between aging, physiological damage and disease and disability outcomes.

Résumé

La conception de modèles en matière de recherche épidémiologique écologique sur le vieillissement est gênée par le paradigme courant de l'empirisme standard, le manque de connaissance sur les origines biologiques et les causes du vieillissement ainsi que les difficultés à différencier le processus de vieillissement des maladies et incapacités associées au vieillissement. Par conséquent, l'établissement de relations ou de liens causals entre les facteurs de risque, le vieillissement, les maladies et les incapacités présente des difficultés aux plans conceptuel et méthodologique qui, parfois, donnent des résultats de recherche absurdes dans le contexte de la vie réelle et ce, en dépit de leur justesse formelle. La conception de modèles théoriques est utile, car il est nécessaire d'établir un ordre d'enchaînement empirique logique qui rend l'objectif de la recherche intelligible. L'auteur suggère que dans le cadre de la recherche multifactorielle épidémiologique écologique sur le vieillissement, il serait utile d'adopter et de tester au moyen d'une méthode empirique le concept du complexe causal effectif plutôt que de tenter, souvent en vain, de définir les effets des simples facteurs de risque sur les liens entre le vieillissement, les dommages physiologiques et la maladie ainsi que des incapacités qui en découlent.

Keywords

AgingEpidemiological and Ecological ModelsEffective Causal Complex.Vieillissementmodèle épidémiologique et écologiquecomplexe causal effectif.
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 14 , Issue 1: Models of Aging , Printemps/Spring 1995 , pp. 82 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1995

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