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 study reflects on the strategies of adaptation to the urban environments in aging, with allusions to Latin America. The results indicate the existence of problems derived from analytical reductionism and the simplification of the theoretical models on environmental adaptation and aging. Maladjustment is determined by personal abilities (social exclusion, disability and dependency) and, mainly, urban physical-social problems. Likewise, environmental adaptation strategies for active aging in the place are proposed from the evaluation of personal assets, as well as the attributes and functions of the urban environment.

Background: Following the active ageing model based on the Health, Lifelong Learning, Participation and Security pillars, this research has a twofold objective: i) to classify older adults according to active ageing profiles, taking into account the four pillars, and ii) to ascertain the relationship between the profiles and personal and contextual factors, as well as well-being and quality of life in old age.Methods: A study sample of 5,566 Spanish older adults who participated in wave 6 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was included. Data were analysed in different steps applying several statistical analyses (Principal Component, Cluster, Discriminant, Multiple Correspondence and bivariate analysis with Pearson chi-square and ANOVA).Results: Five older adult profiles were obtained (I: with moderate activity; II: quasi-dependents; III: with active ageing-limiting conditions; IV: with diverse and balanced activity; V: with excellent active ageing conditions). The first three profiles were characterised by subjects with a high average age, low educational level, who were retired or housewives, and who perceived a moderate level of loneliness, satisfaction with the social network and quality of life, as well as having a larger family network, but living in small households or alone. In contrast, the latter two profiles showed better personal and contextual conditions, well-being and quality of life.Discussion and conclusions: The multidimensional approach to active ageing followed in this article has revealed the presence of several older adult profiles, which are confined to groups with better or worse active ageing conditions. In this context, if ageing is a process that reflects the previous way of life, intervention priorities will have to consider actions that promote better conditions during the life cycle.

Ageism promotes the exclusion of older people from society by generating a negative image that they also internalize. The aim of this article is to investigate older people’s social self-image, through statements broadcast on a national Spanish radio program aimed at this group. A qualitative analysis was conducted for a random sample from the sound archive for the Radio Nacional de España program Juntos Paso a Paso (Together, Step by Step) (2008–2021), using codes based on the pillars and determinants of active ageing and the three dimensions of ageism. Intercoder agreement was calculated. There were significant findings regarding ageism, gendered ageism and ageing in place, with differences according to size of municipal area. The program in question can be considered a viable secondary source for the research aim. Ageism is most commonly manifested through implicit opinions and invisibilization in family and social contexts. Care activities play a notably central role in responses related to gendered ageism. In relation to ageing in place, older people prefer their habitual environment when they have moderate care needs and accept moves to nursing homes when their needs increase.

La investigación tiene por objetivo analizar un sistema que pretende fomentar la participación de los alumnos a partir de la reflexión crítica. Consiste fundamentalmente en presentar en el aula material respecto al que los estudiantes tienen que realizar una crítica constructiva y asegurar que al menos dos alumnos que se seleccionan de manera aleatoria tomen nota de la participación. Es un sistema relativamente objetivo de valorarla. La metodología se basa en un método mixto, cualitativo-cuantitativo, donde se ha empleado la observación participante a 507 alumnos y la encuesta, realizada a esos mismos alumnos, con una tasa de respuesta del 55%. Un 66% de los estudiantes considera que en un grado alto o muy alto hay que desarrollar la capacidad crítica de los alumnos (frente al 9% en grado bajo o muy bajo). Un 50% está de acuerdo en grado alto o muy alto con el sistema de anotar en clase la participación por alumnos que rotan al azar (frente al 19% en grado bajo o muy bajo). Se constata una asociación significativa entre el tamaño de la clase y la calificación obtenida en participación (r=-0,96), con peores calificaciones en las clases más numerosas. Sorprende que los alumnos con participación baja (de 0 a 3 intervenciones) son el grupo más numeroso, con un 42,2% del total. Refleja que el método ha excluido o casi excluido a un porcentaje muy elevado de estudiantes. Si se suma la participación media y alta, funciona aceptablemente bien o muy bien para una mayoría de alumnos, el 58,2%, pero hay que hacer el máximo esfuerzo por integrar al numeroso grupo de marginados.