Purpose: Loneliness and social isolation have detrimental effects on health in old age; however, the prospective associations with quality of life (QoL) remain unclear. Furthermore, despite the existence of a European north-south gradient in the distribution of loneliness and social isolation, little is known whether the associations are context-specific. We investigated the relationships between loneliness, social isolation and QoL of older adults residing in the North (Sweden) and South (Spain) of Europe. Methods: Study sample consisted of 2995 Swedish and 4154 Spanish older adults who participated in waves six and seven of the Study on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Loneliness and social isolation were measured at the baseline, and QoL was measured at the baseline and follow-up using CASP-12. Prospective associations were assessed via multivariate linear regression. Results: In Sweden, subjects with higher vs. lower loneliness had 1.01 (95% CI: −1.55, −0.40) units lower QoL, while every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.27 (95% CI: −0.42, −0.09)-unit decrease in QoL. In Spain, every standard deviation increase in social isolation was associated with a 0.66 (95% CI: −1.11, −0.22)-unit decrease in QoL. The association was stronger in subjects aged ≤65 years old and those with no chronic diseases. The association with loneliness was not statistically significant in Spain. Conclusion: Loneliness and social isolation are prospectively associated with decreased QoL among older adults, yet the associations are contextually bound. Future interventions should target both exposures, among others, in order to increase QoL in this group.

Background: The academic literature contains little information regarding the interventions that create age-friendly cities and communities in order to promote active ageing. Objectives: A systematic review was carried out to determine the available empirical evidence in relation to the characteristics, content and effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving environmental and psychosocial risk factors for older people, from the perspective of age-friendly communities and the promotion of active ageing. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the studies retained in this review were identified through a systematic search of the academic literature in selected electronic databases including Web of Science and Scopus. Independent critical appraisal and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers. The checklist was used to assess the quality of the articles. Findings: The search identified 1020 potentially eligible documents, of which 11 satisfied the established criteria. Non-exhaustive practices prevailed over rigorous investigations, with a high proportion of studies observed to be of low methodological quality and at high risk of bias. This reflected the predominance of uncontrolled interventions. Environmental interventions were focused on reducing risk and adapting the everyday environmental setting, while psychosocial interventions prioritised social strategies (behavioural changes, promotion of participation) and training. Interventions were more effective in certain domains of age-friendly cities and communities such as transportation and housing, followed by increased participation as a lifestyle-related behavioural change. The inferred changes were associated with providing information and enhancing skills; modifying access, barriers, exposures, and opportunities; enhancing services and support; continuity and effectiveness of changes over time; and modifying policies based on the bottom-up approach of age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC). Discussion and conclusion: Interventions focused on personal and organisational aspects might have positive effects in the longer term. However, fewer changes would be observed in interventions revolving around changing lifestyles owing to the impact of complex multi-causal factors. The relative effectiveness in terms of health calls into question the design of interventions and the supposed “friendliness” of certain communities. There is a need to encourage sound longitudinal research aimed at providing key knowledge for the implementation and evaluation of public policies, and to encourage age-friendly community programmes to promote active ageing.

The cohabitation of space by tourists and residents in Spain poses a number of important conceptual and policy issues. However, research in this field has been confounded by the lack of resilient and transferable definitions applicable to the many subtle categories of tourists and migrants, as well as by the administrative obstacles and behavioural traits that hinder effective quantification. Yet, the massive scale of the influx of foreign tourists and residents, seasonally or temporarily, underlines the need for a scientific analysis of this phenomenon. The objective of this paper is to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms by which many elderly North Europeans have made the transition from being working-age tourists to retired residents in the Costa del Sol. The starting point for the analysis is their previous experience as tourists and their personal affirmation of spatially mobile behavioural life styles, but the paper also considers the attractions of the environmental conditions of the Costa del Sol, and the tourist images of Spain and Andalusia. The paper ends with a brief commentary on the influence of the retired foreign populations on the destination areas and the future trajectory of tourism-informed migration.

This paper aims to establish the singularity of the European retired who have moved to live on the Costa del Sol, Spain. To study this topic it was necessary, first, to discuss the constrains that arise when this 'migration' is under close scrutiny; secondly, to depict the geographical model of retired Europeans who move to Spain; and, thirdly, to carry out an ad hoc survey to ascertain the reasons for this residential movement, the advantages and disadvantages of living in Spain after retirement, and the influence on several aspects of the economic and social activity on the receiving area. The survey fieldwork was conducted in April-May 1996. Nonlinear canonical correlation analysis is applied to identify the relationships among demographic and perceptual variables. The results show that nationality and, to a lesser extent, age and academic level are the most important variables for grouping retired Europeans on the Costa del Sol according to their statements. The pleasant Mediterranean climate, the lower cost of living and the informal Spanish lifestyle were the main pull factors of living in Spain, the language acting as the greatest disadvantage. As the retired relate these conditions to life in Spain, a strong relationship with tourist areas is highlighted when the geographical distribution is described.