Foto: Stefan Zimmerman
Aging Research Center (ARC) E-mail: marti.parker@ki.se |
Marti Parker has a Bachelor's degree in sociology and is a licensed physical therapist. Her doctoral dissertation was written at the Department of Social Medicine at Uppsala University. After her dissertation she worked at the Department of Social Work at Stockholm University before coming to ARC. Her work concerns physical function of the elderly population, with an emphasis on the oldest old (80+).
Parker studies function within the social and physical context, taking into consideration socioeconomic position (SEP), social network and the environment. Her analysis of SEP and physical function was groundbreaking in 1995, demonstrating that the effects of SEP on function reach far into old age for both men and women.
A major interest is examining different ways to measure health and physical function, from the traditional self- or proxy-reported ADL measures, to objective tests of functioning. Function measures are often used as health indicators in population research and the differences between them are crucial for understanding health phenomenon, for example, gender differentials or trends over time. In a Forum article in ”The Gerontologist”, Parker and Thorslund reviewed the international literature on health trends and debated the pros and cons of different health indicators. Much of the discrepancy between trend studies can be explained by the use of different indicators, as well as differences in sampling and the time period covered.
Parker received funding from the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS) in 2008 to study gender differences in utilization of medical care and social services among elderly people. The project will cover gender differences in the use of prescription medicines, physician and dentist visits, contact with district nurse, the use of assistive devices, and the use of home help services. Data will include both interview surveys and registers. She has also been involved in analyses of social policy concerning care for elderly people.
Marti is a Fellow in the Gerontological Society of America and a member of the REVES network (International Network on Health Expectancy).
Selected publications
Parker, M.G., Thorslund, M. & Lundberg, O. (1994). Physical function and social class among Swedish oldest old. Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 49, S196-201.
Parker, M.G. (2000). Sweden and the United States, Is the challenge of an aging society leading to a convergence of policy? Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 12(1): 73-90.
Parker, M.G. (2002) Socioekonomisk status och hälsa hos äldre (Socioeconomic status and health among elderly people). In L. Andersson (ed.), Socialgerontologi. Stockholm: Studentlitteratur.
Ahacic, K., Parker, M.G., & Thorslund, M. (2003). Mobility Limitations 1974-1991: Period changes explaining improvement in the population. Social Science and Medicine, 57:2411-2422.
Parker, M.G., Ahacic, K., Thorslund, M. (2005). Health changes among Swedish oldest old: Prevalence rates from 1992 and 2002 show increasing health problems. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences. Vol 60A, No. 10, pp 1351-1355.
Agahi, N., Ahacic, K., Parker M.G. (2006). Continuity of leisure participation from middle age to old age. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 61B, 6, S340-S346.
Fors, S., Thorslund, M., Parker, M. G. (2006). Do actions speak louder than words? Self-assessed and performance-based measures of physical and visual function among old people. European Journal of Ageing, 3(1): 15-21.
Parker, M.G. & Thorslund, M. (2007). Health trends in the elderly population: Getting better and getting worse. The Gerontologist. 47(2):150-158.
Parker, M. G., Schön, P., Lagergren, M., & Thorslund, M. (2008). Functional ability in the elderly Swedish population from 1980 to 2005. European Journal of Ageing. 5(4), 299-309.
Schön, P., Parker, M.G. (2009) Sex differences in health in 1992 and 2002 among very old Swedes. Population Ageing, 1(2):107-123.