social participation and healthy ageing a neglected, significant protective factor for chronic non communicable conditions社会参与和被忽视的健康老龄化,慢性非传染性疾病的重要的保护性因素.pdfVIP

Holmes and Joseph Globalization and Health 2011, 7:43 /content/7/1/43 DEBATE Open Access Social participation and healthy ageing: a neglected, significant protective factor for chronic non communicable conditions Wendy R Holmes1* and Jennifer Joseph2 Abstract Background: Low and middle income countries are ageing at a much faster rate than richer countries, especially in Asia. This is happening at a time of globalisation, migration, urbanisation, and smaller families. Older people make significant contributions to their families and communities, but this is often undermined by chronic disease and preventable disability. Social participation can help to protect against morbidity and mortality. We argue that social participation deserves much greater attention as a protective factor, and that older people can play a useful role in the prevention and management of chronic conditions. We present, as an example, a low-cost, sustainable strategy that has increased social participation among elders in Sri Lanka. Discussion: Current international policy initiatives to address the increasing prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases are focused on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and cancers, responsible for much premature mortality. Interventions to modify their shared risk factors of high salt and fat diets, inactivity, smoking and alcohol use are advocated. But older people also suffer chronic conditions that primarily affect quality of life, and have a wider range of risk factors. There is strong epidemiological and physiological evidence that social isolation, in particular, is as important a risk factor for chronic diseases as the ‘lifestyle’ risk factors, yet it is currently neglected. There are useful experiences of inexpensive and sustainable strategies to improve social par