Ageing and Health – Karin Modig's research group

We study how longevity and health change together and in parallel, as well as the overall disease panorama of the ageing population. Our overall goal is to increase knowledge of the ageing process, the evolution of life expectancy in relation to total life expectancy and potential consequences for society. It will ultimately help to inform and prepare policymakers to face the fifth epidemiological transition currently taking place.

Part of the:
Karin Modig´s research group, IMM

Our research

Our research deals with ageing from a population perspective. We study longevity, how old people can get, what has driven the increase in longevity in recent decades, how health has evolved in parallel with increasing longevity, as well as the consequences of an aging population for individuals, for relatives, for health care and for society at large. We mainly conduct epidemiological studies, but work closely with demography, sociology, clinical medicine and nursing. 

Our research is mainly based on longitudinal data on diagnoses and care utilization from primary care and specialist care, as well as from drug use, prescription of assistive devices, and social care. Survey studies and qualitative studies are also used.

We are committed to open dialog and collaboration. We have many partners in our projects, both in Sweden and internationally. Please contact research group leader Karin Modig if you want to discuss more. 

More information can be found in the menu Project.

Publications

Selected publications

All publications from group members

Funding

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 July 2023 - 30 June 2026
    Dementia is a major public health problem not only for affected individuals but also their families. In Sweden, care for people with dementia is regulated by national guidelines. However, previous research as well as an evaluation by the National Board of Health and Welfare have pointed to limited adherence to these guidelines with regards to both diagnostic processes and provided care. The National Board of Health and Welfare identifies several areas for improvement, two of which are addressed in this application: better conditions for people with dementia in primary care and a need for more qualitative data describing the content and quality of provided care.Primary care is often the first point of contact with health care and plays a key role both in the diagnostic process and in the provision and coordination of care for older people with dementia. Yet, there is little research on primary care for older people with dementia in Sweden. One reason is the lack of a primary care register at the national level.With the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods, this project aims to explore barriers to dementia diagnosis in primary care as well as the extent to which dementia is underdiagnosed in primary but also specialist care in different population subgroups. Furthermore, we aim to explore co-morbidity at the time of dementia diagnosis across the population and whether older individuals’ health is related to specified dementia diagnoses.Our project aims to examine to which extent people with dementia and their relatives have similar views on dementia care as care providers, specifically general practitioners, nurses, and home care staff. We will describe care trajectories for people with a diagnosis of dementia and how they vary across population groups. We know that family members play an important role in the care of older people. Therefore, we aim to highlight older people without close relatives and examine to which extent formal care for older people succeeds in compensating for the potential lack of informal support.The project is based on a large register database with national coverage for specialist care, and regional coverage for primary care. This is complemented by focus group discussions with healthcare providers, and individual interviews with people with dementia and their relatives. The research team includes a general practitioner, nurses, ageing epidemiologists, behavioral scientists and qualitative researchers.
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2020 - 31 December 2022
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2019 - 31 December 2023
  • The Ageing Population – explanations, consequences and future perspectives.
    Riksbankens Jubileumsfond
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2019
  • Making the care process more effective and improving the prognosis among hip fracture patients.
    Family Kamprad Foundation
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2022
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2018 - 31 December 2020
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2017 - 31 December 2019
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2017 - 31 December 2022
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2017 - 31 December 2019
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2017 - 31 December 2019
  • Resebidrag: Deltagande i International Society for Intelligence Research Conference, Madrid, December 17-19, 2009
    Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 November 2009 - 31 January 2010

Staff and contact

Group leader

All members of the group

Project

  • Centenarians
  • Falls and fractures
  • Osteoporosis
  • Heart failure and atrial fibrilation
  • Dementia
  • Covid 19 
  • Care for older people
Keywords:
Age Groups Aging Atrial Fibrillation Cardiology and Cardiovascular Disease Centenarians Show all
Anna Persson
04-09-2025