Methodological Approaches to Research on Age-friendly Communities
Year: 2018
Type: conference-abstract
Abstract: Age-friendly community initiatives (AFCIs) promote a better person-environment fit by modifying physical, social, and service environments to support older adults’ health, well-being, and ability to age in place. However, while AFCIs have the potential to benefit older adults, their families, and their communities, the current state of the science presents challenges to documenting and articulating their ability to do so. This presentation will draw from existing conceptual and empirical work on the social determinants of health to identify rigorous methodological approaches to evaluate the effects of AFCIs. We will focus particularly on the need to link age-friendly environments to such outcomes as clinical risk factors, diagnoses, and health care utilization. We will also discuss strategies to address the numerous barriers to conducting research on AFCIs, including the relative newness of many initiatives, a lack of comprehensive existing data sources, and limited research funding.
Source: Innovation in Aging
Authors: A Lehning, S Baik, T Best
Institution: University of Maryland, Baltimore
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,977
OpenAlex ID: W2899607846