From November 4 to 6, 2024, the 17th World Population and Health Conference was grandly held at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Organized by the Population Association of America, the conference attracted numerous experts and scholars from the fields of health, medicine, and demography around the world. Faculty and students from Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine gathered with scholars from across the globe to discuss the latest developments and challenges in the field of population health. Four students from the Institute of Population Studies and the Asian Population Research Center—Chen Dan, Deng Jie, Deng Congcong, and Yang Yinglei—were honored to be invited to participate in this prestigious event, where they presented their research findings.
Chen Dan presented a paper titled "Social Participation and Depression Trajectories among Middle-aged and Older Women in China: The Role of Offline and Online Activities" at the mental health sub-forum. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), her research conducted a longitudinal analysis of depression trajectories among middle-aged and older women in China, exploring the impact of social participation on these trajectories. The study found that women who engaged in more offline social activities tended to have lower depression trajectories. Chen Dan's research was highly praised by the experts in attendance, who recognized the significance of her topic and provided valuable suggestions regarding data usage and research methodology.
Deng Jie, Deng Congcong, and Yang Yinglei shared their findings in the form of research posters. Deng Congcong's poster, titled "Association of Dietary Diversity with Self-rated Health across Different Age Groups," was particularly noteworthy. This study, based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), examined the relationship between dietary diversity and self-rated health among individuals aged 60 and above, analyzing how this relationship varied across different age groups. The research highlighted the importance of dietary diversity in improving self-rated health among the elderly and recommended strengthening the promotion of healthy eating in public health policies to promote healthy aging. This finding received widespread recognition from the conference attendees.
Scholars at the conference highly commended the contributions of the Asian Population Research Center at Shanghai University to the field of population health. They praised the center for its rigorous data handling, scientifically robust conclusions, and valuable insights into population health issues. The attending students expressed that the conference was highly beneficial, deepening their understanding and reflection on topics such as healthy life expectancy, elderly health, and mental health.
The impressive performance of the students from the Institute of Population Studies and the Asian Population Research Center at this international conference not only showcased our university’s research strengths in population health but also contributed Chinese wisdom and solutions to global population health research. We look forward to their continued success on the academic path and more outstanding achievements in the future.