{"title":"Multi-Dimensional Healthy Aging Interventions: Evidence from an Age-Friendly Community Program in Italy","authors":"Claudio Lucifora, Elena Villar","doi":"10.1007/s12126-024-09567-8","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this paper, we evaluate a pre-pandemic multi-dimensional healthy aging program promoted by an Italian private Foundation to provide new insights on interventions that address both health and social needs within an age-friendly community framework. Using propensity score matching and linear regression models, with specific controls for individuals’ self-selection into the program, we compare lifestyles, physical health, mental conditions, and healthy life expectancy of subjects enrolled into the program with those of similar, but non-enrolled, subjects. Our main finding is that, to be more effective, healthy aging interventions should target the key dimensions of aging - physical, mental, and social - in a holistic approach. Indeed, we show that the multi-dimensionality of the healthy aging intervention under study - the contemporaneous target of older adults’ physical, mental, and social health - is crucial in improving both quantity and quality of life.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":51665,"journal":{"name":"Ageing International","volume":"49 4","pages":"749 - 771"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s12126-024-09567-8.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ageing International","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12126-024-09567-8","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In this paper, we evaluate a pre-pandemic multi-dimensional healthy aging program promoted by an Italian private Foundation to provide new insights on interventions that address both health and social needs within an age-friendly community framework. Using propensity score matching and linear regression models, with specific controls for individuals’ self-selection into the program, we compare lifestyles, physical health, mental conditions, and healthy life expectancy of subjects enrolled into the program with those of similar, but non-enrolled, subjects. Our main finding is that, to be more effective, healthy aging interventions should target the key dimensions of aging - physical, mental, and social - in a holistic approach. Indeed, we show that the multi-dimensionality of the healthy aging intervention under study - the contemporaneous target of older adults’ physical, mental, and social health - is crucial in improving both quantity and quality of life.
期刊介绍:
As a quarterly peer-reviewed journal that has existed for over three decades, Ageing International serves all professionals who deal with complex ageing issues. The journal is dedicated to improving the life of ageing populations worldwide through providing an intellectual forum for communicating common concerns, exchanging analyses and discoveries in scientific research, crystallizing significant issues, and offering recommendations in ageing-related service delivery and policy making. Besides encouraging the submission of high-quality research and review papers, Ageing International seeks to bring together researchers, policy analysts, and service program administrators who are committed to reducing the ''implementation gap'' between good science and effective service, between evidence-based protocol and culturally suitable programs, and between unique innovative solutions and generalizable policies. For significant issues that are common across countries, Ageing International will organize special forums for scholars and investigators from different disciplines to present their regional perspectives as well as to provide more comprehensive analysis. The editors strongly believe that such discourse has the potential to foster a wide range of coordinated efforts that will lead to improvements in the quality of life of older persons worldwide. Abstracted and Indexed in:
ABI/INFORM, Academic OneFile, Academic Search, CSA/Proquest, Current Abstracts, EBSCO, Ergonomics Abstracts, Expanded Academic, Gale, Google Scholar, Health Reference Center Academic, OCLC, PsychINFO, PsyARTICLES, SCOPUS, Social Science Abstracts, and Summon by Serial Solutions.