Engaging older people in healthy and active lifestyles: a systematic review

Abstract

In 2002, the World Health Organization emphasised the concept of active ageing to manage and increase the last third of life. Although many efforts have been made to optimise treatment management, less attention has been paid to health promotion initiatives. To date, few shared guidelines exist that promote an active life in healthy older targets. To fill this gap, we conducted a systematic review to map health promotion interventions that targeted an active and healthy ageing among older citizens. Articles containing the key term active ageing and seven synonyms were searched for in the electronic databases. Because we were interested in actions aimed to promote healthier lifestyles, we connected the string with the term health. A total of 3,918 titles were retrieved and 20 articles were extracted. Twelve of the 20 studies used group interventions, five interventions targeted the individual level and three interventions targeted the community level. Interventions differed for the health focus of the programmes, which ranged from physical activity interventions to social participation or cognitive functioning. Most of the studies aimed to act on psychological components. The review suggests that different interventions promoted for active ageing are effective in improving specific healthy and active lifestyles; however, no studies were concerned directly with a holistic process of citizen health engagement to improve long-term outcomes.

Older Adults’ Physical Activity: The Integration of Autonomous Motivation and Theory of Planned Behaviour Constructs

“…Strengthening the quality of a person's motivation for PA, as suggested by the current findings, towards greater internalisation of PA (congruence with individual personal values), by healthcare professionals aiming to increase an older person's PA level may be especially useful. Such focus seems particularly important since a recent review of strategies and interventions promoting health and active lifestyles among older adults identified a lack of interventions aiming to appeal to personal motivation (Menichetti, Cipresso, Bussolin, & Graffigna, ). Indeed, previous evidence indicates that contact with a healthcare professional who would provide individualised PA advice may have beneficial effects for older adults’ PA engagement (Hinrichs et al, ; Robare et al, ).…”

Does a Falls Prevention Program Impact Perceived Participation in Everyday Occupations? A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Thus, multifactorial and multidisciplinary approaches are required to address the complex topics of threats in active ageing i.e. falls (Menichetti, et al, 2015). By using such approaches, the individual engagement could be enhanced thus facilitating more control and autonomy of their own health and well-being.…”

“…The complex threats to active ageing, i.e. falls, need to be addressed using a multifactorial and multidisciplinary approach (Menichetti, Cipresso, Bussolin, & Graffigna, 2015). Falls and Fear of falling among older adults need to be understood and responded to from a multifactorial perspective (Chang et al, 2004;Gillespie, et al, 2012;McClure et al, 2005).…”

An Evaluation of a Community-Based Psychoeducation Program for Successful Ageing

“…Active ageing is a separate construct focussed on continuing participation in society, defined by the World Health Organization [4] as: "the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age". A growing body of research suggests that active participation in society, along with continued physical, mental and social activity in late life, is a vital element of ageing successfully [5]. Older people are often a source of support to others, through providing unpaid labour either through voluntary work in the community [6] or unpaid services such as childcare for relatives [7].…”