Conceptual and methodological issues in research on age and aging

Abstract

Studies of HIV/AIDS in people older than age 50 typically must address a series of distinct, age-related methodological concerns if they are to develop and implement age-sensitive research designs and measures. In this article, the authors identify and discuss seven methodological challenges that researchers confront when planning and conducting studies of how HIV/AIDS affects older adults. These challenges involve the following: defining who qualifies as an older adult in studies of HIV/AIDS and aging; determining which subset of older adults to study; selecting an appropriate level of analysis; measuring age and aging as research constructs; confronting the practical problems of studying people whose ages are nearing the end of the human life course; resolving the ethical dilemmas of HIV/AIDS research that targets older adults; and successfully going from research to practice in disseminating study findings.