Effectiveness of the Vital Aging program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults

Abstract

IntroductionAging is not only a population phenomenon but also an experience and an individual reality. Vital Aging® is a program that considers active aging as the lifelong adaptation process of maximizing health and independence, physical and cognitive functioning, positive affect regulation and control, and social engagement. Through its different versions and editions, it has demonstrated being an effective program to promote active aging. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the “face-to-face” and “combined” versions of the program to promote active aging in Mexican older adults trial.MethodsSeventy-six older adults aged 60 years and over participated in a quasi-experimental study and were recruited in a senior center to participate in the two experimental conditions: Vital Aging face-to-face (VA-FF) (n=35) and Vital Aging combined (VA-C; multimedia/face-to-face) (n=15), and the remaining 26 adults were assigned to a control group. Pretest and posttest assessments were performed after the theoretical–practical intervention. Mean differences and size effects were calculated for estimating the effect of the program.ResultsAt the end of the study, participants showed improvements in the active aging outcome measures. Positive effects were observed in the frequency of intellectual, cultural – artistic, and social activities, perceptions of aging, satisfaction with social relationships, and self-efficacy for aging. Additionally, those who participated in VA-FF showed better memory performance, meta-memory, and a trend to report less memory problems, while older persons in VA-C showed a trend to have better life satisfaction. No effects were observed in physical activity, frequency of social relationships, and subjective health.ConclusionFindings show that the Vital Aging program in face-to-face and combined versions encourages active aging in Mexican older persons. These results are in general similar to those found in editions performed in Spain, revealing its consistency as a cross-cultural practical initiative for promoting active aging.

Comprehensive 5P framework for active aging using the ecological approach: an iterative systematic review

“…Several mental health issues were also examined in the literature, including depression, anxiety, anger, psychological well-being, and cognitive functioning (mental processing, speed, and working memory) [23,53,57,65,79,87,88,93,115]. Social health [98] and wellbeing literature, on the other hand, focuses on the quality of interpersonal relationships between the members of a [23,35] Family support [23,36] SELF-CARE [23,37] SELF-PROMOTION [23,37] Mutual-help [23,37] Self-esteem [23,37] Life satisfaction [23,38] Travel behavior [23,39] Behavioral attitude/ determinants Cigarette smoking [38] [23, 40] Alcohol consumption Practicing exercises/ kind/frequency/length of activity…”

Promoting active ageing in older people with mental disorders living in the community: An integrative review

“…Notably, older people with mental health problems, such as depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment, are excluded from the quasi‐experiment studies and randomized control trials (Caprara, Fernández‐Ballesteros, & Alessandri, ; Mendoza‐Ruvalcaba & Arias‐Merino, ; Mendoza‐Ruvalcaba & Fernández‐Ballesteros, ). For example, a randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate the effectiveness of an active ageing intervention program in older people in a community in Mexico (Mendoza‐Ruvalcaba & Arias‐Merino, ).…”

“…In a recent quasi‐experimental study with 2 experimental conditions to determine the effectiveness of the program for promoting active ageing (Mendoza‐Ruvalcaba & Fernández‐Ballesteros, ), the primary outcomes were active life, the perception of ageing, physical exercise, the frequency of social relationships, and satisfaction with the social relationship, life satisfaction, and self‐efficacy. However, this study included healthy older people from a senior centre in Mexico, and older people with mental disorders were not recruited into the program.…”

“…Most of the studies reviewed focused on older people in general and not specifically those with mental health issues. Indeed, the experimental and quasi‐experimental studies relating to the promotion of active ageing or related concepts specifically excluded older people with mental health problems (Caprara et al, ; Mendoza‐Ruvalcaba & Arias‐Merino, ; Mendoza‐Ruvalcaba & Fernández‐Ballesteros, ). In addition, whilst 1 study evaluated the effect of life review for reducing depressive symptoms, older people with mental illnesses were not recruited into this experimental study (Latorre et al, ).…”

Comprehensive 5P Framework for Active Aging Using the Ecological Approach: An Iterative Systematic Review

“…Several mental health issues were also examined in the literature, including depression, anxiety, anger, psychological well-being, and cognitive functioning (mental processing, speed, and working memory) [23,54,58,66,80,88,89,94,116]. Social health [99] and well-being literature, on the other hand, focuses on the quality of interpersonal relationships between the members of a society and the amount of their involvement in their community. Several studies conducted on social well-being were assessed, and as a result of which it was found that to propose the level of social well-being for a group of people, their performance must be studied in the following areas: (1) family,…”