Determinants of healthy ageing: a systematic review of contemporary literature

Abstract

Background Healthy ageing frameworks have been highly explored. Our objective was to assess existing frameworks for healthy ageing and to identify commonly described factors that can potentially act as determinants of healthy ageing. Methods We carried out a systematic review by searching five electronic databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, PsychINFO, and CINAHL) from January 2010 to November 2020 to capture contemporary evidence. Eligible studies needed to report a clear framework of healthy ageing in humans, within one or more of three domains (physical, mental/cognitive, social), in English. No restriction was placed on geographical location. Retrospective studies, studies that did not report a framework of healthy ageing, and studies with a focus on diagnostic measures were excluded. Results Of 3329 identified records, nine studies met our eligibility criteria and were included. Most of the studies were qualitative or cross sectional, and a majority were carried out in Asia, followed by North America, Australia, and Africa. The ten determinants identified for healthy ageing include physical activity, diet, self-awareness, outlook/attitude, life-long learning, faith, social support, financial security, community engagement, and independence. Conclusions We identified ten determinants of healthy ageing proposed by the contemporary evidence base. There appears to be increasing acknowledgement of the instrumental role of social and mental/cognitive well-being as determinants of healthy ageing. The extent to which each determinant contributes to healthy ageing requires further evaluation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40520-021-02049-w.

Receptive and participatory arts engagement and healthy aging: Longitudinal evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

“…If we examine the breakdown of participatory activities (see Table S5), we can see that a higher proportion of the sample engaged in sedentary activities than movement-based activities. Similarly, receptive activities may provide more consistent opportunities for social interactions, community engagement, acts of independence, and novel experiences, all of which have been identified as determinants of healthy aging (Abud et al, 2022). This is not to say that individual activities within the 'participatory arts' category could not offer the same benefits, but when exploring the effects of activities as a collective, these ingredients are more consistently present amongst receptive activities, which are therefore more likely to have contributed to healthy aging in this study.…”

Double-Bind of Recruitment of Older Adults Into Studies of Successful Aging via Assistive Information and Communication Technologies: Mapping Review

“…The theory of double-bind by Gregory Bateson [12,13] helps explain the challenges of communicating with aging populations about their need for technology. Double-bind arises when the following conditions co-occur: (1) two or more individuals are involved in a relationship with high physical or psychological survival value for at least one of them (eg, older adults need to grow and their health care system is responsible for that); (2) in this relationship, messages are regularly given that, at one level of communication, assert something (eg, aging is not a deficit, and if it is, technology can overcome it), but at another level, negate or conflict with this assertion (eg, aging causes deficit, and deficits make technology uptake difficult); (3) messaging implies cost and punishment (eg, age-related deficits are costly, but costly technology can reduce them; if technology is not adopted, the risks and costs increase); and finally, (4) those in the relationship can neither escape the relationship nor are they allowed or able to comment on it (eg, no one can escape the reality of aging, nor can anyone stop technology innovation).…”

“…Two fields of research and development that target the needs of the aging population of the world are flourishing: one field focuses on discovering pharmacological or behavioral solutions that promote successful or healthy aging [1][2][3]. The term successful aging (introduced in 1987 by Rowe and Khan) refers to the heterogeneity in health conditions among people of the same age [4].…”

Determinants of Healthy and Active Ageing in Korea

“…Except for the physical exercise that is a component of “Independent and Healthy Living” domain in the AAI definition of EU and WHO, all components of this lifestyle index make sense as determinants of healthy and active ageing. A comprehensive review of the determinants of healthy ageing is identified in the existing literature by [ 30 ] that includes physical activity, diet, self-awareness, life-long learning, faith, social support, financial security, community engagement, and independence. Of these, diet and faith are the only two determinants of healthy ageing that do not enter the set of the AAI indicators defined in [ 14 ].…”