Intergenerational Health

Exploring Intergenerational Health Exchange and Successful Aging:

Investigating Lifestyle Patterns and Contributing Factors Across Age Groups

POLAND, SINGAPORE, PORTUGAL & NORWAY

 

Short summary of the research idea: This study aims to generate insights into how different generations interact to promote health, how these interactions vary across cultures, and which factors facilitate or hinder successful aging. By examining the dynamics of intergenerational health exchanges, we can develop culturally sensitive interventions to enhance health promotion across the lifespan, particularly focusing on how younger generations impact the health of older adults.

 

Introduction

As populations in large parts of the world continue to age, the promotion of successful aging and well-being in elderly populations is an urgent public health concern. Successful aging encompasses the ability to maintain physical health, psychological resilience, and active participation in life. However, achieving this goal requires understanding not just individual health behaviors but the broader intergenerational exchanges that may influence aging.

 

Aim

We aim to explore how interactions between different generations—young adults and seniors—impact health promotion and the maintenance of healthy habits across the life span. Specifically, we seek to investigate how younger generations (young adults and adult children of seniors) contribute to or hinder the health of older adults and how cultural values influence these exchanges. We hypothesize that factors such as access to technology, social connections, education, and socioeconomic status may contribute to health promotion, while loneliness, financial stress, and reduced social engagement may serve as aggravating factors.

 

Example Research Questions:

  1. How do younger generations support older adults in maintaining healthy behaviours, and how do older adults perceive this support? [and the other way round]
  2. What factors promote or hinder intergenerational health exchanges in maintaining healthy lifestyles across different age groups?
  3. How do cultural values and societal norms influence the health-promoting behaviors exchanged between generations?
  4. What are the lifestyle patterns and key health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, diet, socialization) that contribute to successful aging in different cultural contexts?

 

Methodology:

Participants from two age groups:

  1. Young adults (aged 18–30) – representing the younger generation.
  2. Older adults (aged 65+) – representing the senior population.

Participants recruited from diverse cultural backgrounds to allow for cross-cultural comparisons (Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Poland)

 

Tools

  • Questionnaire assessing health behaviours, how two different generations view their roles in promoting each other's health, perceptions of intergenerational exchanges related to health behaviours, and socio-economic factors.
  • Focus groups or interviews exploring how different generations view their roles in promoting each other's health.
  • Objectified indicators (e.g., activity trackers, sleep monitors) to objectively measure lifestyle behaviors.

 

Example questions

  • Young participants will be asked: "What do you do to help the seniors in your life stay healthy?"
  • Older participants will be asked: "What do younger people do to help you maintain your health and well-being?"
  • + questions on social embeddedness, social support etc.

 

Cultural Dimension 

The World Cultural Map twill be used to frame how different societies prioritize elder care, family support, and health promotion. This will allow us to investigate the cultural factors that may either enhance or limit health exchanges between generations.

Outcomes and Interventions

The project will analyze how these intergenerational exchanges contribute to successful aging and promote health. Based on positive deviance (i.e., identifying individuals or groups who achieve better health outcomes than their peers despite facing similar challenges), the findings from this cross-sectional study can be used to design interventions. This interventions will aim to strengthen intergenerational health-promoting behaviors, tailored to each age group and cultural context.