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Determining the importance and feasibility of various aspects of healthy ageing among older adults using concept mapping

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 November 2020

Britteny M. Howell Open the ORCID record for Britteny M. Howell [Opens in a new window] ,
Mariah Seater ,
Kathryn Davis  and
Daniel McLinden
Britteny M. Howell*
Affiliation:
Division of Population Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA National Resource Center for Alaska Native Elders, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Mariah Seater
Affiliation:
Division of Population Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Kathryn Davis
Affiliation:
Division of Population Health Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA Center for Behavioural Health Research and Services, Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Daniel McLinden
Affiliation:
Ideas Networks LLC, Newport, Kentucky, USA
*
*Corresponding author. Email: bmhowell2@alaska.edu
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Abstract

Research shows that healthy ageing is defined differently by older adults and researchers, who may put more or less weight on the physiological, psychological, societal and personal aspects of ageing. Although there is growing interest in the research literature on lay models of healthy ageing in socio-cultural context, little work has been done to determine how important or feasible the various components of healthy ageing are viewed to be by older adults. This study asked a convenience sample of 54 older adults in the circumpolar North to rate the importance and feasibility of 36 previously identified components of healthy ageing in their community. Results indicate that seniors in the sample place the most importance on aspects of the social and physical environment, while least important concepts included psychological and individual behaviours. However, most feasible aspects were individual behaviours and least feasible were aspects of the social and physical environment. Although older adults are able to construct a model of what healthy ageing should look like in their community, they do not always view the most important aspects of healthy ageing to be the most feasible to achieve, providing ample opportunity for public and social policy change.

Keywords

concept mappingsuccessful ageingcircumpolar Northsocial environment
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 42 , Issue 6 , June 2022 , pp. 1403 - 1421
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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