The objectives of the interagency agreement between NIA and the U.S. Census Bureau are to represent within the Census Bureau the interests of NIA and the aging research community, to coordinate aging related activities and materials produced by the Census Bureau, to participate in the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, to continue to update the International Data Base on Aging (IDBA), to cooperate with international agencies on aging related work, and to provide reliable and internationally comparable statistics on and analyses of population aging in disparate societies, to prepare research reports on topics identified by NIA as being significant in terms of population aging (domestically and internationally), and to respond to ad hoc request for information concerning population aging. The Census Bureau programs funded by NIA have produced several popular publications, including Internal Migration of the Older Population: 1995 to 2000, The Older Foreign-Born Population in the United States, 65 + in the United States (several editions), An Aging World (several editions), Centenarians in the United States: 1990, Aging in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Republics, wall-charts on Aging in the United States, Global Aging, and Aging in the Americas, Profiles of America's Elderly, Aging Trends Briefs, and Aging and Gender profiles. The reports produced by the Census Bureau are widely used by the public, researchers, and academicians and have been recognized for their high quality (e.g., An Aging World 2001 won several awards). The Census Bureau also takes a lead role in the Federal Forum on Aging-Related Statistics and collaborates with other federal agencies on projects (e.g., the Administration on Aging and National Center for Health Statistics). ASB staff gives presentations to domestic and international audiences (e.g., a briefing on Capitol Hill, presentations in China, Singapore, and South Africa). ASB staff participate in academic conferences such as the Population Association of America, the Gerontological Association of America, National Academies'workshops, and publish in academic journals, and contribute chapters to books. The broad long-term goals of this agreement are to enhance the aging work at the Census Bureau and to provide timely and accurate data on the older population in the United States and also in other countries. ASB disseminates data on the older population through publications, presentations, and the internet. This project is relevant to many NIA programs as it provides useable information for decision and policy makers on the older population in the United States and throughout the world. The data that are collected and distributed by the Census Bureau are often unparalleled in quantity, quality, and scope. In addition to domestic data, the compilation of international data is important as these data promote a better understanding of the aging process in different countries and regions, and provide policymakers and researchers in the United States an opportunity to gain insights and formulate responses to demands generated by an aging American population.
