Empowerment is a central concept in public health used to reduce social inequalities in health. However, its multiple conceptualizations reflect divergent theoretical perspectives, raising epistemological tensions and practical challenges.

This critical literature review aims to analyze the main theoretical perspectives on empowerment and identify relevant approaches to promote healthy aging from a community health perspective.

A targeted search was conducted in the PubMed, CAIRN, and Google Scholar databases using English and French keywords (“empowerment,” “santé communautaire” [community health], “promotion de la santé” [health promotion], “vieillissement en santé” [healthy aging]). The included publications provided conceptual, critical, or interdisciplinary analyses relevant to community health and the promotion of healthy aging. To broaden the scope of the analysis, the bibliographic references of the selected publications were also reviewed. An iterative thematic analysis was carried out to identify conceptual trends and practical implications.

The analysis highlights the relevance of a multi-scalar approach to empowerment that considers individual, community, and organizational dimensions, as proposed by Ninacs. Such an approach can increase the impact of interventions on social health inequalities. Healthy aging promotion provides a concrete illustration of this dynamic: The empowerment of older adults transforms power relations, redefines professional roles, and fosters the emergence of more equitable and collaborative practices.

Empowerment constitutes both a conceptual and practical lever for linking community health and health promotion. By embracing its ideological dimension and drawing on appropriate theoretical approaches, it helps to design fairer, more inclusive, and more meaningful interventions for the populations concerned.