Participation in community intervention programmes and quality of life: findings from a multicenter study in Portugal

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to analyze quality of life (QoL) in participants of community intervention programs (CIP) focused on healthy aging. Method : A multicenter cross-sectional study was carried out with 304 community-dwelling participants, aged 55 years old or more and living in three locations in Portugal. Half of these individuals (n=152) were involved in a CIP (intervention group). The intervention group was paired according to sex and age group with an equivalent number of participants (n=152) that did not take part in a CIP (comparison group). Activities implemented in the CIP were grouped according to their nature: socio-recreational, educational/lifelong learning and physical activity. Data collection involved a Social Participation Questionnaire, the WHOQOL-Bref and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Results: The CIP participants (n=152) had a mean age of 71.4 years (±5.4), were predominantly women (75.0%), married (65.4%), with fewer than five years of education (71.7%) and a monthly family income of up to 750 euros (47.4%). The intervention group had a significantly higher QoL in the physical domain than the comparison group (p<0.03). Physical activity was the most frequently attended session in the CIP (n=119, 78.3%), in comparison with educational/lifelong learning (n=46, 30.3%) and socio-recreational (n=25, 16.4%) activities. People practicing physical activity in the CIP had a significantly higher QoL in the psychological, social relationships and environment domains (p<0.05). Conclusion: Participation in the CIP was associated with QoL. Therefore, in line with the active aging framework, CIPs must be a part of public policy measures aimed at the QoL of the population.

Exploring the effect of the structural model of active aging on the self-assessment of quality of life among older people: A cross-sectional and analytical study

“… 40 It is possible that the lowest scores on the social participation facet in the current study were due to the worse assessment of the physical domain because these QoL items may be associated, as shown in a previous study. 41 Reducing older people’s social participation is a relevant aspect to consider. Generally, it is multifactorial and includes access to income and socialization difficulties, including physical aspects, which health services must monitor to improve decision-making capacity and life satisfaction.…”

Intervención social dirigida al envejecimiento saludable: revisión de estudios recientes

“…Con respecto a la edad, todos los estudios consideraron grupos de personas de 60 años o más, y solo uno incluía a mayores de 55 años (Bastos et al, 2020), pero ninguno de ellos se centró exclusivamente en mayores nonagenarios y centenarios, tramos de edad que están aumentando de forma significativa a nivel mundial.…”

“…Figura 2. Indicadores de calidad aplicados a los estudios seleccionados Ory et al, 2018;Stathi et al 2022) en sus objetivos o en su metodología; el 80% son aplicables al presentar viabilidad en sus actividades y una planificación realista de las acciones (Bastos et al, 2020;Casas-Herrero et al, 2022;Dumitrache et al, 2017;Hikichi et al, 2015;Martins et al, 2020;Miklavcic et al, 2020;Ory et al, 2018;Stathi et al 2022); el 30% son transferibles, ya que pueden realizarse en otros contextos y con perfiles diferentes de participantes mayores (Bastos et al, 2020;Dumitrache et al, 2017;Hikichi et al, 2015); el 90% cumplen con el criterio de igualdad (Bastos et al, 2020;Casas-Herrero et al, 2022;Cunningham, 2016;Dumitrache et al, 2017;Hikichi et al, 2015;Martins et al, 2020;Miklavcic et al, 2020;Ory et al, 2018;Stathi et al 2022); y por último, un 70% de los estudios cumple con el criterio ético (Bastos et al, 2020;Casas-Herrero et al, 2022;Hikichi et al, 2015;Martins et al, 2020;Merchant et al, 2021;Miklavcic et al, 2020;Stathi et al 2022).…”

Participação em projetos públicos orientados para o envelhecimento bem-sucedido: estudo sobre medidas de intervenção autárquica – Parte I

“…Segundo Santini e colaboradores (2020), a qualidade de vida e os sintomas depressivos medeiam a relação entre maior participação social formal e menor número de doenças crónicas. Num estudo recentemente efetuado (Bastos, Monteiro, Faria, Pimentel, Silva & Afonso, 2020), observou-se que a qualidade de vida estava associada à participação em atividades sociais e recreativas.…”