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Advances in Healthy Aging: Health and Wellbeing in Later Life

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Aging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 10791

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Dr. Saruna Ghimire

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Department of Sociology and Gerontology, Miami University, 396 Upham Hall, 100 Bishop Circle, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
Interests: health in later life; global aging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world population is aging. The current population of 60 years and older, i.e., 1 billion in 2019, is projected to double to 2.1 billion by 2050. Historically, under five always had the highest population, but, for the very first time, in 2018, the population of 65 and above surpassed the number of children under five. After successfully increasing longevity globally, our next steps should be towards adding life to those increased years. Aging is inevitable, but promoting healthy life in older ages is attainable. The World Health Organization has proposed the current decade, i.e., 2020-2030, as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing.” The World Health Organization defines Healthy Ageing “as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age.” The functional ability is determined by individuals’ intrinsic factors as well as environmental factors. Healthy aging does not necessarily mean being “disease-free,” but is understood as an adaptive process to enhance physical, mental, and social wellbeing in later life by addressing the challenges posed by aging.

Health and wellbeing in later life for everyone everywhere is attainable but will require a comprehensive understanding of different aspects of aging and sustained multi-sectoral collaboration and commitment. To improve our understanding of various aspects of healthy aging, we call papers for a special issue on healthy aging.

This Special Issue aims to expand our understanding of recent advances and developments in the ﬁeld of healthy aging. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following: individual and environmental factors associated with healthy aging; methodological aspects of measuring healthy aging; age-friendly environments; long-term care; health systems alignment to promote healthy aging; policies to foster healthy aging.

Dr. Saruna Ghimire
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

older adults
healthy aging
health and wellbeing
gerontology
successful aging
age-friendly practices

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 5011 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identifying the Needs of Older Adults Associated with Daily Activities: A Qualitative Study

by Juan Carlos Briede-Westermeyer, Paula Görgen Radici Fraga, Mary Jane Schilling-Norman and Cristhian Pérez-Villalobos

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4257; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054257 - 27 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1899

Abstract

Introduction: By 2050, older adults will constitute 16% of the world population; hence, there is an urgent demand and challenge to design solutions (products and services) that meet the needs of this age group. This study sought to analyse the needs that impact the well-being of Chilean older adults and present possible solutions through the design of products. Methodology: A qualitative study was used, where focus groups were held with older adults, industrial designers, health professionals, and entrepreneurs on the needs and design of solutions for older adults. Results: A general map was obtained that linked the categories and subcategories related to the relevant needs and solutions, which were then classified in a framework. Conclusions: The resulting proposal places the needs in different fields of expertise; and thus, enables positioning, broadening, and expanding upon the map to share knowledge, between the user and key experts, to co-create solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Healthy Aging: Health and Wellbeing in Later Life)

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29 pages, 1180 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Loneliness, Depression, and Genetics in the Elderly: Prognostic Factors of a Worse Health Condition?

by María Luisa Delgado-Losada, Jaime Bouhaben, Eduardo Arroyo-Pardo, Aránzazu Aparicio and Ana María López-Parra

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15456; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315456 - 22 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2164

Abstract

Loneliness is considered a prognostic factor for poorer health status in the elderly. It is proposed to analyze the role of loneliness in health status in terms of various factors. A total of 1747 individuals from the pilot survey of the Aging in Spain Longitudinal Study (ELES-PS) were reviewed. ELES is a cross-sectional study for collecting health variables, food habits, socioeconomic data, and cognitive and functional capacities, which was carried out on a Spanish representative sample of noninstitutionalized persons of 50 years of age or older. Moreover, since telomere shortening is associated with cellular senescence, 35 telomere-related SNPs and cognitive impairments were analyzed. The results characterize the “solos” as males of 50–60 years, who were overweight and had lower levels of hemoglobin and neutrophils. There is also an association between five SNPs related to telomere length and BDNF. A group of people with loneliness and depression was identified with poorer health and cognitive status, poorer perception of their quality of life, poorer quality of sleep, and lower physical activity. Therefore, it follows that telomeres and BDNF play a role as intermediaries between loneliness and depression and their relationship with a worse state of health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Healthy Aging: Health and Wellbeing in Later Life)

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12 pages, 362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Grandparenting on the Depression and Life Satisfaction among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults

by Lijuan Chen, Yiang Li and Qiuyue Yang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(17), 10790; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710790 - 30 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2239

Abstract

Given the prevalence of depressive mental health symptoms among Chinese adults of grandparenting age in recent decades, a better understanding of how depression and life satisfaction among middle-aged and older adults in China are affected by their role as grandparents is called for. This study examines the relationship between grandparenting and depression and life satisfaction among Chinese adults using multilevel regression models based on a multilevel matching dataset formulated from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and the 2018 China City Statistical Yearbook. The results show that for adults who take care of their grandchildren, living with their children can significantly reduce depression. Meanwhile, whereas spending more time taking care of grandchildren can lower life satisfaction, taking care of more grandchildren is related to higher life satisfaction. The findings of this study should help policymakers improve the quality of life of Chinese adults through better-targeted approaches. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Healthy Aging: Health and Wellbeing in Later Life)

10 pages, 290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Factors Associated with Perceived Changes in Severity of Elder Abuse: A Population-Based Study of Older Adults in Korea

by Haesang Jeon and Jooyoung Kong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10033; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610033 - 14 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1370

Abstract

Elder abuse is a pressing problem that demands social attention in South Korea. This study aims to examine the characteristics of older adults and their family perpetrators that may influence the perceived severity of abuse by older adults using a nationally representative sample among older Koreans. We analyzed 952 community-dwelling older Koreans from a population-based survey of the Survey of Elderly Care and Welfare Need. The analytic sample of this study consisted of older adults who self-reported having been emotionally, physically, and financially abused or neglected by their family members or other primary caregivers. We used multinomial logistic regression models to predict perceived change in severity of abuse. Results showed that the abuse type and duration of abuse were significantly associated with the perceived change in the severity of abuse. Older victims’ age, being female, and being married were also associated with greater risk for increased severity of abuse relative to no change, while older adults’ better health status was associated with lower risk for increased severity of abuse. The findings of this study can help social work professionals identify older adults with heightened risk of abuse and protect the human rights of the most vulnerable aging population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Healthy Aging: Health and Wellbeing in Later Life)

Review

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26 pages, 808 KiB

Open AccessReview

Intrinsic Capacities, Functional Ability, Physiological Systems, and Caregiver Support: A Targeted Synthesis of Effective Interventions and International Recommendations for Older Adults

by Eleni-Marina Ashikali, Catherine Ludwig, Laura Mastromauro, Samuel Périvier, Aude Tholomier, Irina Ionita, Christophe Graf and Catherine Busnel

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4382; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054382 - 1 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2425

Abstract

The ageing population calls for interventions that can assist older people to age healthily. This study aimed to provide a targeted synthesis of high-level research and current evidence-based recommendations on effective interventions for maintaining or preventing the decline in intrinsic capacity, functional ability, and physiological systems, or for caregiver support. Nestled within the healthy ageing framework by the World Health Organization, available evidence was selected in a targeted manner, with the purpose of providing a synthesis that would allow the application of this knowledge in real life. As such, the outcome variables were examined through an Evidence and Gap Map of interventions for functional ability and through guidelines from leading institutions. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and guidelines on community-dwelling older adults with or without minor health limitations were considered. Thirty-eight documents were included and over fifty interventions identified. Physical activity interventions were consistently effective across several domains. Recommendations point to screening, whilst highlighting the importance of behavioural factors in the endeavour to age healthily. There is a wide range of activities which are likely to foster healthy ageing. To encourage their uptake, it is important for communities to offer suitable promotion and support, and to make these accessible to the public. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Healthy Aging: Health and Wellbeing in Later Life)

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