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Letter from the Editors
Dear Reader,
The concept and purpose of this online publication were described in the first issue
and have remained the same. The main emphasis of this issue is the demographic change in
Thailand which has resulted in an increase of the elderly population. Aging now is of major
importance in the field of public health. In the first article a number of socio-demographic
indices of Thailand as a middle income country are compared with those of Germany,
which is a high income country. Another article suggests the need for public health to be
aware of what geroscience is all about, what consequences of this discipline might be for
future public health research and action, and what ethical implications might go along with
it. A third contribution describes the mental ability of the elderly, which might be
astonishingly well-preserved, and that’s why mandatory retirement is not justified. Under
the heading ‘Student Affairs’ the student is advised to recognise and accept study results
which deviate from the original working hypothesis. A second topic aims to cheer up
students of statistics and mathematics. Under the ‘Journal Club’ rubric three recent
publications are introduced which should be of interest for those in sports, nutrition and
chronic diseases.
As before, some of the topics selected for this issue are discussed in a controversial
way. We hope that some of our readers will take the opportunity to express their opinions,
which then will be published in the next issue of the Forum. Please note that we will keep
you informed of every new issue by e-mail if you provide us with your e-mail address.
With our very best regards,
The Editorial Board
Khon Kaen, September 2016