Co-designing community-level integral interventions for active ageing: a systematic review from the lens of community-based participatory research

• Published in: BMC public health 2024-03, Vol.24 (1), p.649-17, Article 649
• Main Authors: Wang, Gubing, Chang, Fangyuan, Gu, Zhenyu, Kasraian, Dena, van Wesemael, Pieter J V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active ageing; Aging; CBPR principles; Co-design; Collaboration; Community; Community involvement; Community participation; Community-based interventions; Community-Based Participatory Research - methods; Exercise; Health aspects; Health promotion; Humans; Intervention; Methods; Older people; Participant observation; Participatory design; Participatory research; Principles; Psychological aspects; Public health; Quality of life; Recruiting; Resource allocation; Social aspects; Systematic review
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18195-5

While community-level interventions for promoting active ageing have received increasing attention and there is a trend to leverage technology to support traditional physical or social interventions, little hands-on guidance exists for designing these integral interventions. This study aimed to examine the interventions reported in the literature guided by Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles. The goal is to extract insights that inform future practices in co-designing integral interventions for active ageing. The systematic review focused on community-level interventions promoting active ageing that integrated physical, social, and digital elements, i.e., integral interventions. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The included interventions were analysed abductively based on the CBPR principles. A total of 13 studies were included, and 24 design considerations were generated under eight categories. Further reflection identified the interrelated nature of these design considerations and pinpointed the gaps in current research. This study highlights the urgency and importance of sharing recruitment methods and resource allocation details, recording and reporting collaboration specifics, and disseminating findings to stakeholders beyond academia. This study offers valuable insights and practical guidance to researchers and practitioners developing community-level integral interventions for active ageing. The findings also serve as a starting point for accumulating knowledge and practice in co-designing integral interventions for active ageing at the community level. The next crucial phase involves evaluating these design considerations within real-world cases to assess their applicability and identify potential areas for improvement.