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Enhancing later life: how older people perceive active ageing?
1Department of Primary Care and Population Sciences, University College London, Hampstead Campus, London, UK. a.bowling@ucl.ac.uk
Aging & Mental Health
|August 30, 2008
Summary
Older adults perceive active ageing as maintaining physical, mental, and social health. This aligns with successful ageing and quality of life, suggesting quality of life is an outcome of active ageing.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Active ageing is a key concept in gerontology, promoting well-being in later life.
- Understanding older adults' perceptions is crucial for developing effective interventions.
- Existing literature often defines active ageing, but individual perspectives require further exploration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore older people's perceptions of active ageing.
- To compare these perceptions with existing literature.
- To contrast active ageing perceptions with those of successful ageing and quality of life.
Main Methods:
- A face-to-face interview survey was conducted.
- 337 participants aged 65 and older were recruited.
- Participants were community-dwelling individuals in Britain.
Main Results:
- Key themes for active ageing included physical health (43%), leisure/social activities (34%), mental functioning (18%), and social contact (15%).
- A significant portion self-rated their active ageing positively ('Very actively' or 'Fairly actively').
- Optimum health and quality of life independently predicted positive self-rated active ageing.
Conclusions:
- Active ageing primarily involves physical and mental engagement for health maintenance.
- Perceptions focused on basic health aspects, potentially excluding more vulnerable older adults.
- Overlap exists with successful ageing and quality of life, with quality of life viewed as an endpoint.
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