Determinants of active aging among older adults: A comparative analysis of rural and urban communities in District Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan

Authors

  • Aitizaz Ahsan Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan Author
  • Dr. Aaqib Shahzad Alvi Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71085/rjhsa.04.04.139

Keywords:

Active Aging, Older Adults, Social Support, Functional Independence, Rural–urban Comparison, Pakistan

Abstract

The study aimed to explore and analyze the factors that affected the active ageing in the older age group (60 years and above) in rural and urban areas of District Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. The design was quantitative, compared and cross sectional. The structured questionnaire used five-point Likert scales along with the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living, and the Lubben Social Network Scale-6. It was completed by 200 older adults through purposive sampling technique. Data analyzed by descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression in SPSS. The regression model indicated that the six determinant domains together accounted for about 61% of the variance in active aging (R² = .610), F(6, 193) = 45.68, p < .001, with the highest regression coefficients being found for participation (β = .276), psychological and cognitive well-being (β = .238), and physical health status (β = .221). The results showed that active aging is a multi-dimensional outcome that depends on the interaction between health, social, economic, psychological and environmental factors.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Atchley, R. C. (1989). A continuity theory of normal aging. The Gerontologist, 29(2), 183–190. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/29.2.183

Beard, J. R., Officer, A., de Carvalho, I. A., Sadana, R., Pot, A. M., Michel, J.-P., Lloyd-Sherlock, P., Epping-Jordan, J. E., Peeters, G. M. E. E., Mahanani, W. R., Thiyagarajan, J. A., & Chatterji, S. (2016). The World report on ageing and health: A policy framework for healthy ageing. The Lancet, 387(10033), 2145–2154. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00516-4

Ben-Shlomo, Y., & Kuh, D. (2002). A life course approach to chronic disease epidemiology: Conceptual models, empirical challenges and interdisciplinary perspectives. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31(2), 285–293. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/31.2.285

Bibi, R., Yan, Z., Zeb, A., Anwar, N., Mian, N., & Khan, R. A. (2023). The translation process of the culturally sensitive active aging scale for community-dwelling older adults in Pakistan. BMC Public Health, 23, 1682. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16563-1

Buffel, T., Handler, S., & Phillipson, C. (Eds.). (2018). Age-friendly cities and communities: A global perspective. Policy Press.

D’Amore, C., Saunders, S., Bhatnagar, N., Griffith, L. E., Richardson, J., & Beauchamp, M.

K. (2023). Determinants of physical activity in community-dwelling older adults: An umbrella review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 20, 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-023-01528-9

Dannefer, D. (2021). Systemic and reflexive: Foundations of cumulative dis/advantage and life-course theory. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(6), 1195–1202. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa129

Dommaraju, P., & Wong, S. (2021). The concept of productive aging. In C. R. Martin, V. B. Preedy, & R. Rajendram (Eds.), Assessments, treatments and modeling in aging and neurological disease (pp. 3–11). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818000-6.00001-9

Fernández-Ballesteros, R., Robine, J.-M., Walker, A., & Kalache, A. (2013). Active aging: A global goal. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research, 2013, Article 298012. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/298012

Foster, L., & Walker, A. (2015). Active and successful aging: A European policy perspective. The Gerontologist, 55(1), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu028

Foster, L., & Walker, A. (2021). Active ageing across the life course: Towards a comprehensive approach to prevention. BioMed Research International, 2021, 6650414. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6650414

Havighurst, R. J. (1961). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 1(1), 8–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/1.1.8

Havighurst, R. J., & Albrecht, R. (1953). Older people. Longmans, Green.

Holt-Lunstad, J. (2022). Social connection as a public health issue: The evidence and a systemic framework for prioritizing the “social” in social determinants of health. Annual Review of Public Health, 43, 193–213. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-110732

Hussain, B., Mirza, M., Baines, R., Burns, L., Stevens, S., Asthana, S., & Chatterjee, A. (2023). Loneliness and social networks of older adults in rural communities: A narrative synthesis systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1113864. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1113864

Katz, S., Ford, A. B., Moskowitz, R. W., Jackson, B. A., & Jaffe, M. W. (1963). Studies of illness in the aged: The index of ADL: A standardized measure of biological and psychosocial function. JAMA, 185(12), 914–919. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1963.03060120024016

Li, Z., He, H., Chen, Y., & Guan, Q. (2024). Effects of engagement, persistence and adherence on cognitive training outcomes in older adults with and without cognitive impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Age and Ageing, 53(1), afad247. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afad247

Lubben, J., Blozik, E., Gillmann, G., Iliffe, S., von Renteln Kruse, W., Beck, J. C., & Stuck, A. E. (2006). Performance of an abbreviated version of the Lubben Social Network Scale among three European community-dwelling older adult populations. The Gerontologist, 46(4), 503–513. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/46.4.503

Marengoni, A., et al. (2023). Determinants of active aging and quality of life among older adults: Systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Marthammuthu, T., Hairi, F. M., Choo, W. Y., Salleh, N. A. M., & Hairi, N. N. (2023). The prevalence and association between social support and physical activity among the rural community-dwelling older women in a Southeast Asian country. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 31(4), 611–620. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2022-0201

Marzo, R. R., Khanal, P., Shrestha, S., Mohan, D., Myint, P. K., & Su, T. T. (2023). Determinants of active aging and quality of life among older adults: Systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1193789. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1193789

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2020). Social isolation and loneliness in older adults: Opportunities for the health care system. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. (2023). 7th population and housing census 2023: Announcement of results. Government of Pakistan.

Rahman, M. M., Rosenberg, M., Flores, G., et al. (2022). A systematic review and meta-analysis of unmet needs for healthcare and long-term care among older people. BMC Health Services Research, 22, 1397. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08717-3

Rasheed, S., et al. (2024). Priorities and experiences of ageing among older adults in Karachi and Thatta, Pakistan: A comparative study.

Rodrigues, C. E., Grandt, C. L., Abu Alwafa, R., Badrasawi, M., & Aleksandrova, K. (2023). Determinants and indicators of successful aging as a multidimensional outcome: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1258280. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1258280

Rowe, J. W., & Kahn, R. L. (1997). Successful aging. The Gerontologist, 37(4), 433–440. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/37.4.433

Tariq, J., Zakar, R., Ali, M. V., Zakar, M. Z., Sajjad, A., & Fischer, F. (2023). Determinants of physical, psychological, and social well-being in older adults: A cross-sectional study in senior care facilities of Pakistan (2019/20). BMC Geriatrics, 23, 349. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04014-w

Teo, R. H., Cheng, W. H., Cheng, L. J., Lau, Y., & Lau, S. T. (2023). Global prevalence of social isolation among community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 107, 104904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2022.104904

United Nations. (2023). World social report 2023: Leaving no one behind in an ageing world. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Wen, Z., Peng, S., Yang, L., Wang, H., Liao, X., Liang, Q., & Zhang, X. (2023). Factors associated with social isolation in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 24(3), 322–330.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2022.11.008

World Health Organization. (2002). Active ageing: A policy framework. World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2015). World report on ageing and health. World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2020). Decade of healthy ageing: Baseline report. World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2021). Decade of healthy ageing 2021–2030. World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2025). Ageing and health. World Health Organization.

Zimmer, C., & McDonough, M. H. (2022). Social support and physical activity in older adults: Identifying predictors using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 30(1), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2020-0393

Downloads

Published

2026-10-01

How to Cite

Ahsan, A., & Alvi, A. S. (2026). Determinants of active aging among older adults: A comparative analysis of rural and urban communities in District Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. Research Journal of Human and Social Aspects, 4(4), 87-97. https://doi.org/10.71085/rjhsa.04.04.139