A state-of-the-art review of the socio-ecological correlates of volunteerism among older adults

Types of Voluntary Work and Influence of Participation for Older Volunteers: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

This systematic review synthesized findings on socio-demographic characteristics of older adults who engaged in formal volunteering, types of voluntary work for engagement, and the outcomes resulting from different types of voluntary work participation. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals were identified from six electronic databases. Studies were included if they: (1) involved a study sample of adults aged 65 and older or had a mean age of 65 , (2) reported any type of formal voluntary work at any setting, and (3) reported at least one influence of voluntary work on volunteers. Older adults who were female, married, retired, and have a higher education, fair health, and more volunteering experience participated in voluntary work. The majority of older volunteers preferred to volunteer in a community setting, and they most commonly participated in healthcare or social care related voluntary work. The older volunteers perceived positive influences mostly related to health-relatedoutcomes or helping knowledge and skills.

Identifying pathways to increased volunteering in older US adults

While growing evidence documents strong associations between volunteering and improved health and well-being outcomes, less is known about the health and well-being factors that lead to increased volunteering. Using data from 13,771 participants in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS)—a diverse, longitudinal, and national sample of older adults in the United States—we evaluated a large range of candidate predictors of volunteering. Specifically, using generalized linear regression models with a lagged exposure-wide approach, we evaluated if changes in 61 predictors spanning physical health, health behaviors, and psychosocial well-being (over a 4-year follow-up between t₀; 2006/2008 and t₁; 2010/2012) were associated with volunteer activity four years later (t₂; 2014/2016). After adjusting for a rich set of covariates, certain changes in some health behaviors (e.g., physical activity ≥ 1x/week), physical health conditions (e.g., physical functioning limitations, cognitive impairment), and psychosocial factors (e.g., purpose in life, constraints, contact with friends, etc.) were associated with increased volunteering four years later. However, there was little evidence that other factors were associated with subsequent volunteering. Changes in several indicators of physical health, health behaviors, and psychosocial well-being may predict increased volunteering, and these factors may be novel targets for interventions and policies aiming to increase volunteering in older adults.

The Role of Urban Environments in Promoting Active and Healthy Aging: A Systematic Scoping Review of Citizen Science Approaches

Promoting active and healthy aging in urban spaces requires environments with diverse, age-friendly characteristics. This scoping review investigated the associations between urban characteristics and active and healthy aging as identified by citizen science (CS) and other participatory approaches. Using a systematic scoping review procedure, 23 articles employing a CS or participatory approach (participant age range: 54-98 years) were reviewed. An inductive and deductive thematic analysis was completed to (a) identify local urban barriers and facilitators and (b) map them against the World Health Organization (WHO) Checklist of Essential Features of Age-Friendly Cities. A new Citizen Science Appraisal Tool (CSAT) was developed to evaluate the quality of CS and other participatory approaches included in the reviewed articles. A range of interconnected urban barriers and facilitators was generated by residents across the personal (e.g. perceived safety), environmental (e.g. unmaintained infrastructure), socio-cultural (e.g. cross-cultural activities), economic (e.g. affordable housing) and political (e.g. governmental support to migrant communities) domains. Mapping the barriers and facilitators to the WHO age-friendly checklist underscored the checklist's relevance and elucidated the need to explore barriers for migrant and cross-cultural communities and neighborhood development and alterations. The CSAT demonstrated strengths related to active engagement of residents and study outcomes leading to real-world implications. To advance the potential of CS to enrich our understanding of age-friendly environments, employing co-production to enhance relevance and sustainability of outcomes is an important strategy. Overall, employing CS highlighted the value of systematically capturing the experiences of older adults within studies aimed at promoting active and healthy aging.

Do Home and Community Environments Explain Self-Rated Health Among Older Canadians? Evidence From the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the associations between home and community environmental factors and self-rated health (SRH) among older Canadians and how these associations vary by gender and living arrangements. Background: In social gerontology research, the psychosocial determinants of SRH have been widely investigated. Based on the environmental gerontology framework, this study examined the home and community environmental correlates of SRH.

METHOD

The sample (aged 60 or older) was drawn from the 2018 Canadian Housing Survey (4,086 men living alone; 6,471 men living with others; 9,170 women living alone; 4,876 women living with others). Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between SRH and potential environmental correlates in a hierarchical model.

RESULTS

Findings show that older men and women living alone reported lower levels of SRH than those living with others. Regression findings show common and unique home and community environmental predictors of SRH by group. Common predictors of higher SRH were private housing residence, larger living space, satisfaction with dwelling, volunteering, no perceived need for community services, and community safety. Home maintenance needs predicted lower SRH among older men and women living with others; uninhabitable conditions predicted poor SRH among older men living with others and older women living alone.

CONCLUSION

Results support the important effects of place in terms of home and community environments for older adults' SRH, and associations differed by gender and living arrangements.