Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being  Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics

In 1986, the National Institute on Aging, in cooperation with the National Center for Health Statistics and the Census Bureau, established the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics to foster collaboration among Federal agencies that produce or use statistical data on the older population. Over a period of several years, the Forum played a key role in improving aging-related data by encouraging cooperation and data sharing among different agencies, furthering professional collaboration across different fields, and compiling aging-related statistical data in a centralized location. The meetings of the Forum helped promote a number of important developments, including the establishment of the Health and Retirement Study and the Study of Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old; the comparison of disability measures across national surveys;1 the acceptance of more standardized age categories; and the collection and presentation of statistics on more narrowly defined age and race categories.

In response to changes in the Federal statistical system, the Forum was reorganized in 1998. As part of this reorganization, the Administration on Aging, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Care Financing Administration, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (Department of Health and Human Services), Office of Management and Budget, and Social Security Administration were invited to become organizing members of the Forum.

The inaugural meeting of the “new” Forum was held in March 1999. At this meeting, the organizing members agreed that the Forum should focus its efforts on developing an indicators chartbook, exploring opportunities to integrate data for research applications, and initiating projects to improve measurement methods and data quality.

Mission of the Forum

The Forum’s mission is to encourage cooperation and collaboration among Federal agencies to improve the quality and utility of data on the aging population. To accomplish this mission, the Forum provides agencies with a venue to discuss data issues and concerns that cut across agency boundaries, facilitates the development of new databases, improves mechanisms currently used to disseminate information on aging-related data, invites researchers to report on cutting-edge analyses of data, and encourages international collaboration.

The specific goals of the Forum are to improve both the quality and use of data on the aging population by:

• widening access to information on the aging population through periodic publications and other means;
• promoting communication among data producers, researchers, and public policymakers;
• coordinating the development and use of statistical databases among Federal agencies;
• identifying information gaps and data inconsistencies;
• investigating questions of data quality;
• encouraging cross-national research and data collection on the aging population; and
• addressing concerns regarding collection, access, and dissemination of data.

Financial Support of the Forum

The work of the Forum is currently funded by the Office of Demography of Aging, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health. Valuable staff support is provided by all members of the Forum.

Where to Find More Information About Forum Activities

If you would like more information about Older Americans or the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, contact the Forum’s staff director:

Kristen Robinson, Ph.D.
Staff Director
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics
3311 Toledo Road, Room 6227
Hyattsville, MD 20782
Phone: (301) 458-4460
Fax: (301) 458-4037
E-mail: kgr4@cdc.gov
Website: http://www.agingstats.gov

Top of Page	Menu: Older Americans 2000: Key Indicators of Well-Being
Forum Home Page	Go to List of Tables

Contacts:

• for information about the Forum or the "Key Indicators" Chartbook (see above)
• for questions about this web site