Altersbezogen

Altersbezogen is a German adjective meaning age-related or age-dependent. It is used to describe phenomena that vary with age or differ across age groups, rather than remaining constant across the lifespan.

It appears frequently in psychology, gerontology, medicine, sociology, and public policy. The term labels variables, effects, or recommendations that depend on a person’s age. Examples include altersbezogene Unterschiede in cognitive performance, altersbezogene Risikofaktoren for certain diseases, and altersbezogene Anforderungen in education or workplace design. In research and practice, the concept helps separate age effects from other factors and supports the design of age-specific interventions or analyses, such as altersbezogene Analysen.

Altersbezogen is formed from Alter (age) and bezogen (related to). It is commonly used in compounds with nouns to describe the nature of an effect, and it has related terms such as altersabhängig (age-dependent), altersunabhängig (age-independent), and altersspezifisch (age-specific).

While the term signals a connection to age, it does not specify the underlying mechanism, which may be biological, psychological, social, or cohort-related. In epidemiology, age adjustments and standardizations (for example altersstandardisiert) are used to account for age structures, but altersbezogen remains a broader descriptor of age-related phenomena.