UserAge
The UserAge research program provided a greater understanding of the benefits of user participation in different phases of the research process.
User participation has become an important component in many research projects. Within the UserAge program, researchers have studied user participation to increase our understanding of the opportunities and challenges presented by the participation of knowledge users in research on ageing and health.
Increase the impact of user participation
One aim of the research program was to develop methods and models that can increase the impact of user participation. The researchers worked in collaboration with representatives of pensioners’ organizations, carers and vulnerable members of the older population. Actors from the public and private sectors were also involved in the program. Staff in healthcare and social care, as well as members of the housing and real estate sectors, also contributed to the research program.
Additional studies and projects
The six-year research program included a number of different studies and projects. Four PhD projects were investigating ways that research can be conducted in collaboration with users from different categories. A national panel study investigated researcher attitudes towards user participation and different categories of users. Studies on the translation of political ambitions for user participation in research projects were also included.
The research program ran during the period 2017-2023 and generated new knowledge that is now being used and further developed in ongoing research at the four universities involved in the program.
Information about UserAge
Contact person and principal investigator at Lund University: Susanne Iwarsson, professor and coordinator at CASE, Lund University
Project members at Lund University: Susanne Iwarsson, Steven Schmidt, Oskar Jonsson, Håkan Jönson, Björn Slaug, Maya Kylén, Sara Hultqvist, Joakim Frögren, Erik Skogh and the CASE and UserAge user board.
Partners: Researchers at University of Gothenburg, Kristianstad University and Linnaeus University
Project period: 2017-2023
Research areas: User participation, ageing and health, cooperation, implementation research.
Funders: Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare, Ribbingska minnesfonden