Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T20:56:46.814Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cross-cultural comparison between academic and lay views of healthy ageing: a literature review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 August 2010

LI-WEN HUNG ,
G. I. J. M. KEMPEN  and
N. K. DE VRIES
LI-WEN HUNG*
Affiliation:
School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Department of Health Promotion, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
G. I. J. M. KEMPEN
Affiliation:
School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Department of Health Care and Nursing Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
N. K. DE VRIES
Affiliation:
School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Department of Health Promotion, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
*
Address for correspondence: Li-Wen Hung, Department of Health Promotion, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim of this study is to specify the concept of ‘healthy ageing’ from both western and non-western cultural perspectives, and to compare the views of academics and lay older people. Thirty-four published peer-reviewed full papers in English and Chinese (traditional characters) were identified using electronic database searches. The key components of their definitions of healthy ageing were extracted and categorised into 12 domains. The results show that, in general, lay definitions (as described in 11 studies) included more domains (independency, family, adaptation, financial security, personal growth, and spirituality) and more diversity in the healthy ageing concept than academic views (which tend to focus more on physical and mental health and social functioning in later life). Certain domains were valued differently across cultures. As shown in previous studies, the findings affirm that healthy ageing is a multi-dimensional and complex concept and that there are substantial differences in different cultures. Moreover, we found that there are pronounced variations in the conceptualisation of healthy ageing as between academic and older lay people. Generally, older lay people perceive healthy ageing more broadly than the maintenance of physical, mental and social functioning. We suggest that academic researchers should integrate the more holistic perspectives of older lay people and cultural diversity into the classical ‘physical–mental–social’ healthy ageing concept.

Keywords

healthy ageingsuccessful ageingageing wellcross-culturalacademic viewslay perspectivesquality of lifeliterature review
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 30 , Issue 8 , November 2010 , pp. 1373 - 1391
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Almeida, O. P., Norman, P., Hankey, G., Jamrozik, K. and Flicker, L. 2006. Successful mental health aging: results from a longitudinal study of older Australian men. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 1, 27–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Avlund, K., Holstein, B. E., Mortensen, E. L. and Schroll, M. 1999. Active life in old age: combining measures of functional ability and social participation. Danish Medical Bulletin, 46, 4, 345–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Baltes, P. B. and Baltes, M. M. 1990. Psychological perspectives on successful aging: the model of selective optimization with compensation. In Baltes, P. B. and Baltes, M. M. (eds), Successful Aging: Perspectives from the Behavioral Sciences. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berkman, L. F., Seeman, T. E., Albert, M., Blazer, D., Kahn, R., Mohs, R., Finch, C., Schneider, E., Cotman, C., McClearn, G., Nesselroade, J., Featherman, D., Garmezy, N., McKhann, G., Brim, G., Prager, D. and Rowe, J. 1993. High, usual and impaired functioning in community-dwelling older men and women: findings from the Macarthur Foundation Research Network on successful aging. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 46, 10, 1129–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowling, A. 1993. The concepts of successful and positive aging. Family Practice, 10, 449–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowling, A. 2006. Lay perceptions of successful ageing: findings from a national survey of middle aged and older adults in Britain. European Journal of Ageing, 3, 3, 123–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowling, A. 2007. Aspirations for older age in the 21st century: what is successful aging? International Journal Aging and Human Development, 64, 3, 263–97CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowling, A. 2008. Enhancing later life: how older people perceive active ageing? Aging and Mental Health, 12, 3, 293–301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowling, A. and Dieppe, P. 2005. What is successful ageing and who should define it? British Medical Journal, 331, 7531, 1548–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowling, A. and Iliffe, S. 2006. Which model of successful ageing should be used? Baseline findings from a British longitudinal survey of ageing. Age and Ageing, 35, 6, 607–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burke, G. L., Arnold, A. M., Bild, D. E., Cushman, M., Fried, L. P., Newman, A. B., Nunn, C. and Robbins, J. 2001. Factors associated with healthy aging: the Cardiovascular Health Study. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49, 3, 254–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chong, A. M.-L., Ng, S.-H., Woo, J. and Kwan, A. Y.-H. 2006. Positive ageing: the views of middle-aged and older adults in Hong Kong. Ageing & Society, 26, 2, 243–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chou, K. L. and Chi, I. 2002. Successful aging among the young-old, old-old, and oldest-old Chinese. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 54, 1, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Depp, C. A., Glatt, S. J. and Jeste, D. V. 2007. Recent advances in research on successful or healthy aging. Current Psychiatry Reports, 9, 1, 7–13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Depp, C. A. and Jeste, D. V. 2006. Definitions and predictors of successful aging: a comprehensive review of larger quantitative studies. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 1, 6–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernández-Ballesteros, R., García, L. F., Abarca, D., Blanc, L., Efklides, A., Kornfeld, R., Lerma, A. J., Mendoza-Nuñez, V. M., Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, N. M., Orosa, T., Paúl, C. and Patricia, S. 2008. Lay concept of aging well: cross-cultural comparisons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 56, 5, 950–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernández-Ballesteros, R., García, L. F., Abarca, D., Blanc, E., Efklides, A., Moraitou, D., Kornfeld, R., Lerma, A. J., Mendoza-Núñes, V. M., Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, N. M., Fraíz, T. O., Paúl, C. and Patricia, S. 2010. The concept of ‘ageing well’ in Latin American and European countries. Ageing & Society, 30, 1, 39–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ford, A. B., Haug, M. R., Stange, K. C., Gaines, A. D., Noelker, L. S. and Jones, P. K. 2000. Sustained personal autonomy: a measure of successful aging. Journal of Aging and Health, 12, 4, 470–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fried, L. P., Ettinger, W. H., Lind, B., Newman, A. B. and Gardin, J. 1994. Physical disability in older adults: a physiological approach. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 47, 7, 747–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garfein, A. J. and Herzog, R. 1995. Robust aging among the young-old, old-old, and oldest-old. Journal of Gerontology, 50B, 2, S77–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garroutte, E. V. N. S., Arguelles, L., Goldberg, J. and Buchwald, B. 2006. Cultural identities and perceptions of health among health care providers and older American Indians. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, 2, 111–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Glass, T. A. 2003. Assessing the success of successful aging. Annals of Internal Medicine, 139, 5, 383–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guralnik, J. M. and Kaplan, G. A. 1989. Predictors of healthy aging: prospective evidence from the Alameda county study. American Journal of Public Health, 79, 6, 703–08.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hansen-Kyle, L. 2005. A concept analysis of healthy aging. Nurse Forum, 40, 2, 45–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hsu, H. C. 2007. Exploring elderly people's perspective on successful ageing in Taiwan. Ageing & Society, 27, 1, 87–102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hsu, H. C. and Chang, M. C. 2004. Successful aging and active aging in Taiwan: a multi-level analysis. Taiwan Journal of Social Welfare, 3, 2, 1–36. (In Chinese traditional characters)Google Scholar
Kendig, H. and Browning, C. 1997. Positive ageing: facts and opportunities. Medical Journal of Australia, 167, 409–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kickbusch, I. 2005. Action on global health: addressing global health governance challenges. Public Health, 119, 11, 949–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knight, T. and Ricciardelli, L. 2003. Successful aging: perceptions of adults aged between 70 and 101 years. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 56, 3, 223–45.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lamb, V. L. and Myers, G. C. 1999. A comparative study of successful aging in three Asian countries. Population Research and Policy Review, 18, 5, 443–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, L. Y. K. and Fan, R. Y. K. 2008. An exploratory study on the perceptions of healthy ageing among Chinese adults in Hong Kong. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 170, 10, 1392–4.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, C., Wu, W., Jin, H., Zhang, X., Xue, H., He, Y., Xiao, S., Jeste, D. V. and Zhang, M. 2006. Successful aging in Shanghai, China: definition, distribution and related factors. International Psychogeriatrics, 18, 3, 551–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, L. H. 2006. A study of successful aging of the elder learners in institutions in Taiwan. Journal of Population Studies, 33, 133–70. (In Chinese traditional characters)Google Scholar
Matsubayashi, K., Ishine, M., Wada, T. and Okumiya, K. 2006. Older adults' views of ‘successful aging’: comparison of older Japanese and Americans. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54, 1, 184–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Menec, V. H. 2003. The relation between everyday activities and successful aging: a 6-year longitudinal study. Journal of Gerontology: Social Science, 58B, 2, S74–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moberg, D. O. 2005. Research in spirituality, religion and aging. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 45, 1/2, 11–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montross, L., Depp, C., Daly, J., Reichstadt, J., Golshan, S., Moore, D., Sitzer, D. and Jeste, D. V. 2006. Correlates of self-rated successful aging among community-dwelling older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 1, 43–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newman, A. B., Arnold, A. M., Naydeck, B. L., Fried, L. P., Burke, G. L., Enright, P., Gottdiener, J., Hirsch, C., O'Leary, D. and Tracy, R. 2003. ‘Successful aging’: effect of subclinical cardiovascular disease. Archives of Internal Medicine, 163, 19, 2315–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Palmore, E. 1979. Predictors of successful aging. The Gerontologist, 19, 5, 427–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peel, N. 2004. Healthy ageing: how is it defined and measured? Australasian Journal on Ageing, 23, 3, 115–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phelan, E. A., Anderson, L. A., Lacroix, A. Z. and Larson, E. B. 2004. Older adults' views of ‘Successful aging’ and how do they compare with researchers' definitions? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52, 2, 211–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phelan, E. A. and Larson, E. B. 2002. ‘Successful aging’ and where next? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 50, 7, 1306–8.Google ScholarPubMed
Reed, D. M., Foley, D. J., White, L. R., Heimovitz, H., Burchfiel, C. M. and Masaki, K. 1998. Predictors of healthy aging in men with high life expectancies. American Journal of Public Health, 88, 10, 1463–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roos, N. P. and Havens, B. 1991. Predictors of successful aging: a twelve-year study of Manitoba elderly. American Journal of Public Health, 81, 1, 63–68.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, J. W. and Kahn, R. L. 1987. Human aging: usual and successful. Science, 237, 4811, 143–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rowe, J. W. and Kahn, R. L. 1997. Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 37, 4, 433–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schulz, R. and Heckhausen, J. 1996. A life span model of successful aging. American Psychologist, 51, 7, 702–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strawbridge, W. J., Cohen, R. D., Shema, S. J. and Kaplan, G. A. 1996. Successful aging: predictors and associated activities. American Journal of Epidemiology, 144, 2, 135–41.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strawbridge, W. J., Wallhagen, M. I. and Cohen, R. D. 2002. Successful aging and well-being: self-rated compared with Rowe and Kahn. The Gerontologist, 42, 6, 727–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tate, R. B., Lah, L. and Cuddy, T. E. 2003. Definition of successful aging by elderly Canadian males: the Manitoba follow-up study. The Gerontologist, 43, 5, 735–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tyas, S. L., Snowdon, D. A., Desrosiers, M. F., Riley, K. P. and Markesbery, W. R. 2007. Healthy ageing in the nun study: definition and neuropathologic correlates. Age and Ageing, 36, 6, 650–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Uotinen, V., Suutama, T. and Ruoppila, I. 2003. Age identification in the framework of successful aging: a study of older Finnish people. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 53, 3, 173–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaillant, G. E. and Western, R. J. 2001. Healthy aging among inner-city men. International Psychogeriatrics, 13, 4, 425–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
von Faber, M., Bootsma-van der Wiel, A., van Exel, E., Gussekloo, J., Lagaay, A. M., van Dongen, E., Knook, D. L., van der Geest, S. and Westendorp, R. G. J. 2001. Successful aging in the oldest old: who can be characterized as successfully aged? Archives of Internal Medicine, 161, 22, 2694–700.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (WHO) 1948. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. Entered into force 7 April 1948, WHO, Geneva. Available online at http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html [Accessed 18 May 2010].Google Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) 2008. World Health Statistics 2008. WHO, Geneva.Google Scholar