new Tool Developed to Measure and Support Healthy Aging
A Florida State University researcher is part of a pioneering team that has developed a new measure to understand and support healthy aging,with the potential to change how health care workers,employers and policymakers assist older adults in remaining active and engaged.
Dawn Carr, director of FSU’s Claude Pepper center and professor of sociology, is part of the multi-institutional research team that includes experts from Tufts University, University of Washington, Urban Institute and University of Michigan. Through their research, the team has developed the Index of Aging in midlife and Beyond (IAM+), a simple and accessible new tool designed to measure and predict healthy aging.
The work is published in the journal Innovation in Aging.
The IAM+ is a multi-domain measure of health that makes it possible to evaluate changes in aging from midlife and beyond, which can inform the design of early interventions that may lead to improved quality of life for adults as they age.Its simplicity and accessibility make it a powerful tool for tracking health and engagement at midlife when early health challenges often go undetected, with potential applications in research, policy and clinical practice.
“The solvency of our future workforce and health care system depends on researchers identifying ways to move the needle in improving the health of our rapidly aging population,” Carr said. “With tools like the IAM+ measure, we are better positioned to identify public health strategies and individual health behaviors that can increase the number of years people can remain actively engaged in meaningful activities.”
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 public Domain
new Index Measures Aging Beyond just Years Lived,Offers Insights for Healthier Futures
TALLAHASSEE,Fla. – Florida state University researchers have developed a new tool to measure aging that goes beyond simply counting years, offering a more nuanced understanding of how individuals age and identifying factors that contribute to healthy aging. The Index of Aging in Midlife and Beyond (IAM+) assesses aging based on physical, mental, and social well-being, providing a comprehensive picture of an individual’s aging trajectory.
Currently published in Innovation in Aging, the IAM+ considers a range of factors including chronic health conditions, cognitive function, sensory impairment, and social engagement. Unlike traditional measures focused solely on chronological age, the IAM+ recognizes that people age at diffrent rates and experience aging differently.
“We wanted to create a measure that captures the complexity of aging and identifies what really matters for maintaining health and quality of life as we get older,” explained lead researcher Leah Abrams.”The IAM+ allows us to see who is aging well and who is experiencing accelerated aging, and importantly, why.”
The researchers envision the IAM+ having a wide range of applications, including:
* Personalized healthcare: Clinicians can use the index to identify individuals at risk of age-related decline and tailor interventions to promote healthy aging.
* Workplace policy: Employers and policymakers can use the IAM+ to design safer, more supportive work environments and retraining programs for older workers.
* Retirement planning: The index highlights the need for flexible retirement policies that account for differences in aging trajectories,especially for those exposed to health-harming work environments.
* Targeted public health tactics: The IAM+ can definately help identify groups at risk of accelerated aging due to structural inequalities, guiding targeted public health and social support efforts.
“This measure offers an exciting new tool for researchers to use as we work to isolate the most important factors that best help us stave off health problems until the latest stages of life,” Carr said.
Carr is also a faculty affiliate for FSU’s Pepper Institute on Aging and public Policy, which is housed in FSU’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy along with the Claude Pepper Center.
More data:
Leah Abrams et al, Predicting active and productive engagement: introducing the index of aging in midlife and beyond (IAM+), Innovation in Aging (2025).https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaf104
Citation: An innovative tool helps measure healthy aging (2025,December 8) retrieved 8 December 2025 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-tool-healthy-aging.html
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