The term active aging (AE) was coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the end of the 1990s. The main objective was to broaden the concept of healthy aging that was used at that time, since the term focused more on socio-health and medical factors of people. For this reason, the concept was expanded to visualize the health of people as an integral and multifactorial process (Ramos, Monteagudo and Miranda, 2016).
For the WHO, active aging is taking advantage of opportunities to enjoy physical, psychological and social well-being throughout life. This concept not only contemplates aging from the medical point of view, but also includes behavioral, psychological, economic and sociocultural factors involved in population aging.
The objective of active aging is to extend the quality of life, productivity and life expectancy in advanced ages. Therefore, it was designed to promote participation and give social activity an essential role during aging.
EA encourages people's participation in: a) recreational and artistic activities, b) volunteering or paid activities, c) cultural, political and social activities, d) educational and lifelong learning activities, and e) engagement with the community and one's own family (Ramos, Monteagudo, & Miranda, 2016).
Likewise, active aging is a health promotion strategy guided by the principles of the United Nations Organization (UNO), which indicate that people's health should include independence, participation, assistance and security. All of them important pillars for health promotion aimed at decreasing risk factors and strengthening protection so that people enjoy a better quality of life (Ramos, Monteagudo, & Miranda, 2016).
For this reason, the promotion of active aging is an intelligent and necessary response to the demographic revolution of an increasingly aging world. AE is a means for people to reach older adulthood in a healthy and independent way, far from diseases or disabilities that reduce their autonomy.
Reference
Ramos, Ana, Monteagudo, Mirtha, Miranda, María de los Ángeles (2016). Active aging: importance of its promotion for aging societies. Rev. Arch Med Camagüey. 20(3), 330-337.
