The Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business of the UB, Ramon Alemany, and Mercedes Ayuso, professor of Statistics, have presented the Indicator of quality of dignified and sustainable life of the elderly (SDG-IVDS65+). An index that groups eleven Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in eight domains to obtain a complete view of the quality of life of senior citizens.
Specifically, the measured aspects are the economic-estate situation, the habits of physical exercise and nutrition, life expectancy, ICT skills and education, coexistence and assistance to old people, integration to labour market, their localization under geographic areas, and their personal relationships and the level of integration.
In the framework of the first SDG and the Elderly sessions: "social and economic challenges of new longevity", organized by the Chair Economy of Ageing and the Aging School of Thoughts of Mutualidad Abogacía Foundation, the UB researchers have said that adults over 64 who live in Northern and Central Europe have the best quality of life in the continent. On the other hand, most countries in Southern Europe hold the positions in the middle of the board, Spain holding the highest position in this group (12th position in Europe).
Regarding the different domains, Spain holds a position in the top 10 in five of them: lower relative poverty (6th position), proper physical state and nutrition (10th position); healthy ageing (7th position); equality in healthcare for older people (3rd position), and localization in areas of different population density (5th position). It holds the 15th position in the dominion on quantity and intensity of social relationships of the elderly, and it is listed in the lower part of the ranking in the dominion that measures the level of education and ICT skills (20th position, with a 16.1% of people over 65 who did not finish their primary education studies) and participation in the labour market (25th position).
The researchers of the chair, jointly created by the University of Barcelona and the Aging School of Thoughts of the Mutualidad Abogacia Foundation, conclude that senior citizens in Spain show high percentages of richness mainly due to the culture of southern Europe countries of owning properties (houses). They also state that Spain shows good figures regarding the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, despite having a lower percentage of older people with normoweight (31%) and have discussed the need to activate occupation policies for senior workers to promote permanency for adult population in the labour market. Among the participants in the event were the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, and the president of Mutualidad Abogacía Foundation, Enrique Sanz Fernández-Lomana.
