scholarly journals SCALES FOR MEASURING AGEISM AS EXPERIENCED BY OLDER ADULTS: LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGICAL CRITIQUE

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S245-S245
Author(s):  
Hyun Kang

Abstract A growing body of research shows that ageism negatively affects older adults’ psychological well-being and even physical functioning. However, the tools to measure ageism as experienced by older adults are not well developed. This study reviewed the literature on ageism scale with an emphasis on the methodological issues. Most standardized ageism scales have focused on younger people’s attitudes and beliefs toward older adults. We found only one standardized scale that examined how older adults felt and thought about their experiences being treated as a stereotype. However, the scale is incomplete because it does not fully measure ageism and it has received far less rigorous analysis. Many studies have adopted and revised ageism scales that were developed specifically to measure younger people’s attitudes toward older adults, meaning that the scales’ validity has been problematic when administered to older adults. Furthermore, many studies that discussed older adults’ experience of ageism used uni-dimensional or simple measures. Although significant efforts have been made to outline ageism’s various dimensions and constructs, these efforts have not led to a common consensus on ageism and its characteristics. Lack of consensus, in turn, makes it harder to develop a standardized scale. Finally, existing scales are more suitable for Western societies. Socio-cultural uniqueness has not been considered when developing scales, nor has the scales’ cross-cultural reliability and validity been tested. Our findings suggest that a new scale that applies only to measuring ageism as perceived by older adults and corresponds to the significant dimensions of ageism must be developed.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Delia Rambaldini-Gooding ◽  
Luke Molloy ◽  
Anne-Maree Parrish ◽  
Michal Strahilevitz ◽  
Rodney Clarke ◽  
...  

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. S. Pereira ◽  
A. M. Oliveira ◽  
B. S. Diniz ◽  
O. V. Forlenza ◽  
M. S. Yassuda

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910532093117
Author(s):  
Peter Martin ◽  
Joseph Kim ◽  
Angelica Jasper ◽  
Yousun Baek ◽  
Daniel Russell

The purpose of this research was to develop a brief assessment of health personality, defined as a set of individual dispositions that are directly related to health. In Study 1, an initial pool of items was developed with 615 older adults, 65 years of age and older. The scale was reduced to a 15-item version for use in applied health care settings. Results indicated that the ‘Health Personality Assessment scale’ has good internal consistency, and the five-factors correlated significantly with self-reported measures of physical health and well-being. In Study 2, the scale was cross-validated with 254 older adults from the Health Literacy and Cognitive Function among Older Adults Study. The scale was refined and a third study consisted of 3,907 older adults. Reliability and validity of the scale were confirmed. Future research should evaluate the usefulness of this scale in applied healthcare settings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larissa Alamino Pereira de Viveiro ◽  
André Finotti Lagos Ferreira ◽  
José Eduardo Pompeu

Abstract Introduction: Falls are an important adverse event among older adults. The St. Thomas’s Falls Risk Assessment Tool in Older Adults (STRATIFY) is a tool to assess the risk of falls; however, it is not translated and adapted to Portuguese. Objective: To translate and perform a cross-cultural adaptation of STRATIFY in Brazilian Portuguese, as well as to test the reliability and validity of the instrument. Method: The cross-cultural adaptation process was carried out in six stages: A) T1 and T2 translations; B) synthesis of translations (T12); C) T12 back translations (RT1 and RT2); D) expert committee review; E) pretesting of the version approved by the committee; F) adapted version of STRATIFY for Brazilian Portuguese. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were performed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Validity was assessed by the Spearman’s correlation coefficient of the STRATIFY with the Morse Fall Scale (MFS). Data analysis was performed by the Microsoft Office Excel 2016 (translation and adaptation) and by the IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 (reliability and validity). We used a level of significance of p<0.05. Results: Data were presented about the perception of 33 health professionals on the adapted version of STRATIFY. The following ICC and CI were found for inter-rater and test-retest reliability, respectively: ICC=0.729; CI=0.525-0.845 and ICC=0.876; CI=0.781-0.929. STRATIFY and MFS showed a moderate but significant correlation (ρ=0.50, p<0.001). Conclusion: The translated and adapted version of the STRATIFY presented moderate inter-rater reliability and good test-retest reliability, in addition to a moderate correlation to the MFS.


Author(s):  
Bhumika Aggarwal ◽  
Qian Xiong ◽  
Elisabeth Schroeder-Butterfill

Abstract Aim: Given the paucity of data on the use of internet and quality of life (QoL), this literature review aimed to identify the motivations and barriers for internet use and the impact on QoL on older adults using the internet. Background: Even though older adults are increasingly using information technology, the numbers remain quite small globally. Currently published research primarily focuses on the various ways and methods of information technology use by older adults and the factors influencing use rather than on the impact of information technology on QoL of older adults. Methods: The studies included in this literature review were searched in three databases: WEB of Science, GoogleScholar and PubMed. English language articles were searched using the terms ‘older’, ‘elderly’, ‘senior’, ‘well-being’, ‘life satisfaction’, ‘quality of life’, ‘internet’ and “computer”. Findings: The review demonstrated the association of internet use on QoL in older adults. The majority of the studies substantiate the advantages of internet use by older adults including the ability to communicate with family and friends, maintain a wide social network, have access to information and participate in online leisure activities. There are some studies, though less in number, which did not find a relationship between well-being and use of internet by older adults. The policy implications of this review advocate a multidimensional strategy to support internet use by the older people incorporating internet training and education, financial issues, technical support and access needs to be developed.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prem S. Fry ◽  
Dominique L. Debats

Both cognitive and psychosocial theories of adult development stress the fundamental role of older adults’ appraisals of the diverse sources of cognitive and social-emotional strengths. This study reports the development of a new self-appraisal measure that incorporates key theoretical dimensions of internal and external sources of life strengths, as identified in the gerontological literature. Using a pilot study sample and three other independent samples to examine older adults’ appraisals of their sources of life strengths which helped them in their daily functioning and to combat life challenges, adversity, and losses, a psychometric instrument having appropriate reliability and validity properties was developed. A 24-month followup of a randomly selected sample confirmed that the nine-scale appraisal measure (SLSAS) is a promising instrument for appraising older adults’ sources of life strengths in dealing with stresses of daily life’s functioning and also a robust measure for predicting outcomes of resilience, autonomy, and well-being for this age group. A unique strength of the appraisal instrument is its critically relevant features of brevity, simplicity of language, and ease of administration to frail older adults.


10.2196/17809 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. e17809 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Stara ◽  
Sara Santini ◽  
Johannes Kropf ◽  
Barbara D'Amen

Background The rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults’ working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers’ health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose. Objective This systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community. Methods The search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria. Results To our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees’ well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers’ health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design. Conclusions Further digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users’ health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology.


Gerontologia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-101
Author(s):  
Jussi Partanen ◽  
Leena Forma ◽  
Pekka Rissanen

Käyttäytymisen muutokseen tähtääviä kohdennettuja, kansalaisten, ryhmien ja yhteisöjen osallistamista hyödyntäviä menetelmiä on kuvattu lupaaviksi keinoiksi terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin edistämisessä. Tällaisten interventioiden taloudellista arviointia on tehty kuitenkin melko vähän. Taloudellinen arviointitutkimus on systemaattista toimintaa, jossa tunnistetaan, mitataan ja verrattaan vaihtoehtoisten interventioiden kustannuksia ja vaikutuksia. Tähän kirjallisuuskatsaukseen etsittiin tietoa ja tuloksia ikääntyneille suunnatun sosiaalisen markkinoinnin tehokkuudesta. Sosiaalista markkinointia kuvataan käyttäytymisen muutokseen tähtääväksi prosessiksi, jonka alkuperä on kaupallisen markkinoinnin ohella myös sosiaali- ja yhteiskuntatieteissä. Katsauksen aineiston muodostavat yhdeksän kansainvälistä taloudellista arviointitutkimusta, jotka valikoituivat kriteerien mukaan lopulliseen analyysiin. Arvioitujen interventioiden tavoitteet liittyivät ikääntyneiden terveyden edistämiseen ja/tai sairauksien ennaltaehkäisyyn. Katsauksessa arvioitiin myös taloudellisten arviointitutkimusten laatua. Tutkimusten tulosten yhteenvetoa hankaloittavat erot interventioiden tutkimusasetelmissa, arviointinäkökulmissa, vaikuttavuuden mittaustavoissa sekä kansallisiin palvelujärjestelmiin liittyvät erot. Tuloksiin liittyvästä epävarmuudesta huolimatta tutkimusten tulokset viittaavat siihen, että sosiaalista markkinointia hyödyntävät interventiot voivat olla vaikuttavia ja potentiaalisesti myös kustannus-vaikuttavia ikääntyneiden terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin edistämisessä. Economic evaluation of social marketing interventions targeting older adults – A scoping literature review Behavioural change methods that seek to involve individuals, groups, and communities have been described as a promising approach to promote health and well-being. Yet, only few economic evaluation studies are found. Economic evaluation is a systematic attempt to identify, measure and compare the costs and outcomes of alternative interventions. The aim of this literature review was to analyse the previous evidence on the cost-effectiveness of social marketing targeting older adults and the elderly. Social marketing has been described as a behavioral change approach that has its origins both in commercial marketing and social sciences. The review is based on nine international economic evaluation studies, which were selected for the final analysis based on eligibility criteria. Objectives of the evaluated interventions involved health promotion and/or illness prevention targeting older adults. The second aim of this review was to assess the previous economic evaluation studies. Summarising the research findings is impeded by the variation in research designs, the perspectives for the evaluation, the methods used to measure effectiveness, and the differences in health care and welfare systems between national states. Despite these uncertainties, the international research indicates that interventions applying social marketing techniques appear to be effective and potentially cost-effective approach to promote health and well-being of older adults.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Stara ◽  
Sara Santini ◽  
Johannes Kropf ◽  
Barbara D'Amen

BACKGROUND The rapid increase of the aging population is pushing many national governments to reshape retirement legislation in order to extend older adults’ working life. Once retired, older adults can be invaluable resources for the community as family carers, as volunteers, or by returning to work. Healthy aging is one of the main conditions for being able to work longer and being active after retirement. The latter, indeed, represents a very sensitive life transition, which can entail psychological and social difficulties. Interventions for promoting older workers’ health and well-being and supporting the transition to retirement are on the top of the policy agenda of most European countries. Recently, computer-based and digital health interventions have been seen as promising means to reach this purpose. OBJECTIVE This systematic literature review aimed to explore studies on digital health coaching programs for older workers that followed a user-centered design approach and evaluated their effectiveness in providing older adults with guidance for adopting a healthy lifestyle and being active in the community. METHODS The search identified 1931 papers, and 2 relevant articles were selected by applying specific eligibility criteria. RESULTS To our knowledge, only few digital health coaching programs have targeted the population of older workers to date; there is an insufficient number of studies on the efficacy of such programs. The results show the difficulties of assessing the efficacy of digital coaching itself and with respect to older employees. The 2 studies suggest that digital health programs for workplaces can improve various aspects of older employees’ well-being; however, they considered health mainly from a physical perspective and neglected contextual, social, psychological, and cultural factors that can influence older workers’ health and general well-being. Future digital health coaching programs should adopt the healthy aging paradigm as a multidimensional lens for interpreting the impact of eHealth technology on aging and retirement. The literature around this issue remains at an embryonic state, and this gap needs to be filled by further investigations that apply a user-centered approach for designing the technology, test innovative research methodologies, and adopt new technical solutions for high-quality interaction design. CONCLUSIONS Further digital health coaching programs aimed at supporting healthy and active living for older workers and retirees are necessary. The user-centered design approach is recommended in order to fully address the users’ health needs and the technological requirements throughout development. Moreover, the healthy aging perspective allows inclusion of physical, social, and psychological factors influencing the transition from work to retirement, as well as the experiences and interactions of individuals with the technology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 181386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonid Tiokhin ◽  
Joseph Hackman ◽  
Shirajum Munira ◽  
Khaleda Jesmin ◽  
Daniel Hruschka

Current scientific reforms focus more on solutions to the problem of reliability (e.g. direct replications) than generalizability. Here, we use a cross-cultural study of social discounting to illustrate the utility of a complementary focus on generalizability across diverse human populations. Social discounting is the tendency to sacrifice more for socially close individuals—a phenomenon replicated across countries and laboratories. Yet, when adapting a typical protocol to low-literacy, resource-scarce settings in Bangladesh and Indonesia, we find no independent effect of social distance on generosity, despite still documenting this effect among US participants. Several reliability and validity checks suggest that methodological issues alone cannot explain this finding. These results illustrate why we must complement replication efforts with investment in strong checks on generalizability. By failing to do so, we risk developing theories of human nature that reliably explain behaviour among only a thin slice of humanity.


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