Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Being actively engaged in life in old age: determinants, temporal trends, and prognostic value. |
| Authors: |
Aalto, Ulla L., Knuutila, Mia, Lehti, Tuuli, Jansson, Anu, Kautiainen, Hannu, Öhman, Hanna, Strandberg, Timo, Pitkälä, Kaisu H. |
| Source: |
Aging Clinical & Experimental Research; Jul2023, Vol. 35 Issue 7, p1557-1563, 7p |
| Subject Terms: |
LIFESTYLES, SOCIAL participation, ACTIVE aging, MORTALITY, ATTITUDE (Psychology), CROSS-sectional method, FUNCTIONAL status, LIFE, SEX distribution, SELF-efficacy, INDEPENDENT living, SOCIAL classes, QUALITY of life, OLD age |
| Geographic Terms: |
FINLAND |
| Abstract: |
Purpose: Recently, the concept of successful ageing has shifted from healthy ageing to active ageing, the latter emphasising even more the subjective perspective. Active agency is a marker for better functioning. However, the concept of active ageing lacks a clear definition so far. The specific aims of the study were to identify the determinants of being actively engaged in life (BAEL), to explore the changes in BAEL over 3 decades, and to explore the prognostic value of BAEL. Methods: This is a repeated cross-sectional cohort study of older (≥ 75 years) community-dwelling people in Helsinki in 1989 (N = 552), 1999 (N = 2396), 2009 (N = 1492), and 2019 (N = 1614). The data were gathered by a postal questionnaire at each time point. Being actively engaged in life was defined by two questions "Do you feel needed?" and "Do you have plans for the future?", which was further converted into BAEL score. Results: An increasing temporal trend in BAEL score was observed through the study years. Male sex, good physical functioning and subjective health, and meaningful social contacts were determinants for higher BAEL score. Active agency measured by BAEL score predicted lower 15-year mortality. Conclusions: Older home-dwelling, urban Finnish people have become more actively engaged in recent years. The underlying causes are diverse but improved socioeconomic status observed over the study years was one of them. Social contacts and not feeling lonely were found to be determinants for being actively engaged. Two simple questions describing active engagement in life may help to predict mortality among older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of Aging Clinical & Experimental Research is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Complementary Index |
