Dominios operativos del envejecimiento saludable: una descripción cualitativa en personas adultas mayores de Perú

Background and objective

Understanding the domains of healthy aging (HA) through the perceptions of older adults is important for the multidimensional determination of the construct according to the culture of Peru and for the development of plans that promote the health, well-being, resources and strengths of older adults. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively explore the operational domains of HA in Peruvian older adults.

Method

The approach adopted was fundamental qualitative descriptive. A purposive sampling was used and 26 participants attending senior centers belonging to the municipal commune of Lima were recruited (Medad = 67.9; SD = 6.64). Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the content analysis was carried out using an inductive method identifying the units of meaning of the HA.

Results

The content analysis showed 11 sub-themes and 4 main themes. The identified themes were as follows: “functional health”, “psychological well-being”, “active engagement with life” and “religion”. Given this, the results demonstrate the multidimensionality of HA in Peruvian older adults.

Conclusion

The operational domains of HA indicate the importance of individual perceptions considering functional health, psychological well-being, active engagement with life, and religion. This perspective supports the multidimensional concept of HA. This can be implemented as a guide for government entities working with PAMs. In addition, to formulate new public policies focusing on the domains of HA.