Community-Based Peer-Led Intervention for Healthy Ageing and Evaluation of the 'HAPPY' Program

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Community Health

Background:

• Population ageing necessitates a whole-of-society approach to promote healthy ageing.
• Multi-sectoral collaboration is crucial for developing age-friendly communities.
• The Healthy Ageing Promotion Program for You (HAPPY) is a community-based dual-task exercise program designed for older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of the HAPPY program in improving cognition among older adults.
• To evaluate secondary outcomes including frailty status, functional status, perceived health, and social isolation.
• To describe the implementation process of the HAPPY program.

Main Methods:

• Community-based dual-task exercise program involving older adults with prefrailty, frailty, or cognitive impairment.
• Recruitment and publicity achieved through country-wide multisectoral collaboration.
• Screening included assessments for frailty, cognition (MoCA), falls, vision, grip strength, perceived health, depression, social network, gait speed, and physical function (SPPB).

Main Results:

• Significant improvements observed in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores in both health coach (HC) and HAPPY leader-led groups.
• Overall physical function, chair-stand, and balance domains showed significant improvement, particularly in HC-led and twice-weekly exercise groups.
• Positive outcomes included improved perceived health, reduced social isolation, better frailty status, and fewer falls at 3 months.

Conclusions:

• Community-embedded, peer-led programs like HAPPY can enhance cognition, physical function, and frailty status in older adults.
• The program effectively reduces social isolation and improves perceived health.
• Promoting healthy ageing requires a comprehensive, life-course approach involving diverse stakeholders to redesign health systems.