Healthy, Safe and Active Aging, 3rd Edition

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

Population aging on a global scale is a complex demographic process involving individual, social, cultural, and economic dimensions. While the increase in longevity in recent decades undoubtedly represents a major achievement, it is equally essential to ensure and maintain psychophysical and relational wellbeing in older individuals to monitor and manage the progressive loss of functional abilities, as well as the onset of age-related diseases.

In addressing the challenges posed by population aging, policies aimed at prevention, rehabilitation, environmental facilitation, and economic, social, and motivational support for older adults and their families have been developed. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines healthy aging as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age.” The core concept of maintaining intrinsic capacity, encompassing mental and physical capacities, has become increasingly central. Healthy aging depends on the dynamic interaction between individuals’ intrinsic capacities and relevant environmental characteristics, including the home, the community, broader society, the built environment, interpersonal relationships, attitudes and values, as well as health and social policies.

Moreover, to frame aging as a positive and empowering experience, the WHO has adopted the term active aging, defined as “the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age.” Throughout the life course, individuals should be supported in acting in favor of their physical, social, and mental wellbeing according to their needs, preferences, and capacities.

In addition, the progressive loss of functional abilities and the onset of age-related diseases may generate significant health and safety concerns in occupational contexts, particularly when work environments and tasks are primarily designed for younger individuals. This highlights the need for age-sensitive organizational policies and inclusive design approaches.

This Topic aims to provide a third wave of comprehensive contributions on the determinants of healthy, safe, and active aging within a biopsychosocial framework by considering biological, psychological, and social factors and their complex interactions in shaping health, illness, and healthcare delivery in later life. Demographic and cultural characteristics, social and economic determinants, physical environments, and personal and behavioral factors will be examined from the medical, psychological, sociological, technological, and policy-oriented perspectives.

Importantly, we also encourage the submission of position papers, consensus statements, guidelines, and tutorials that synthesize current evidence and propose shared orientations, strategic frameworks, and practical guidelines for healthy and active aging. Such contributions are intended to strengthen the policy dimension of this Topic, thereby fostering the development of actionable recommendations and evidence-based guidelines to inform public health strategies, institutional planning, workplace adaptations, and community interventions at the local, national, and international levels. Finally, but no less importantly, we believe that this third edition should also address the topic of graduate and post-graduate training in aging. This represents a significant step forward in envisioning educational curricula capable of providing discipline-specific and interdisciplinary tools to support the wellbeing, development, and health of older adults

We welcome manuscripts related to the following fields:

(a) Mental health, the reduction in risk factors associated with major diseases, and the enhancement of protective factors;

(b) Psychological factors (cognition, emotion, and personality) in normal and pathological aging;

(c) Biological factors (genetic, molecular, and cellular);

(d) Quality of life, assessment, prevention, effective treatments and interventions, holistic medicine, age-friendly and safe environments, and social support;

(e) Available and emerging technologies for interfacing with the human brain and their applications in supporting older individuals (assistive technologies, neuroengineering, biomedical engineering, information technology, and sensor technologies);

(f) Development of guidelines, policy frameworks, and interdisciplinary recommendations aimed at promoting sustainable and inclusive aging societies.

Dr. Antonella Lopez
Prof. Dr. Andrea Bosco
Dr. Alessandro Oronzo Caffò
Dr. Elisabetta Ricciardi
Dr. Luigi Tinella
Dr. Giuseppina Spano
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Brain Sciences brainsci	3.4	6.0	2011	16.8 Days	CHF 2400	Submit
Geriatrics geriatrics	2.4	3.4	2016	27.7 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Healthcare healthcare	3.4	5.5	2013	21.5 Days	CHF 2700	Submit
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ijerph	-	9.8	2004	24 Days	CHF 2500	Submit
Journal of Ageing and Longevity jal	-	1.8	2021	32.6 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics jgg	0.9	1.2	1953	47.1 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Nursing Reports nursrep	3.1	2.9	2011	22.7 Days	CHF 1800	Submit
Nutrients nutrients	5.8	10.2	2009	15.8 Days	CHF 2900	Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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All Brain Sciences Geriatrics Healthcare IJERPH JAL Nursing Reports JGG Nutrients

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Open AccessArticle

Favorable Changes in Basic Functional Status and Mobility After Participation in a Community-Based Day Center Program for Older Adults: A Pre–Post Study of Two Independent Annual Cohorts in Chile

by Armando Cifuentes-Amigo, Claudia Fica, Ignacio Salas, Nacim Molina, Diego Arauna, Eduardo Fuentes and Iván Palomo

Geriatrics 2026, 11(4), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/geriatrics11040082 - 7 Jul 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Community-based day center programs may support healthy ageing by promoting functional ability, mental well-being, and social participation among older adults, but real-world evidence from Latin America remains limited. Objective: We aimed to examine changes in functional status, mental health, and [...] Read more.

Introduction: Community-based day center programs may support healthy ageing by promoting functional ability, mental well-being, and social participation among older adults, but real-world evidence from Latin America remains limited. Objective: We aimed to examine changes in functional status, mental health, and quality of life among older adults participating in the CEDIAM program in the Maule Region of Chile in 2022 and 2023. Methods: Pre–post observational study using routinely collected data from 15 CEDIAM centers. The 2022 and 2023 datasets were analyzed as independent cohorts. Functional status was assessed with the Barthel Index, the Lawton and Brody scale, and the Timed Up and Go test; mental health with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale; and quality of life with the EuroQol-5D visual analogue scale. Paired comparisons, category-transition analyses, and multivariable logistic regression models of improvement were performed. Results: Baseline samples included 894 participants in 2022 and 897 in 2023. In 2022, all continuous outcomes improved significantly (all p ≤ 0.001). In 2023, the Barthel Index, the Timed Up and Go test, and the Geriatric Depression Scale improved (all p < 0.0001), and the EuroQol-5D visual analogue scale also improved (p < 0.01), whereas the Lawton and Brody scale (p = 0.204) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (p = 0.725) did not. Category-transition analyses showed significant improvements in basic activities of daily living and mobility in both cohorts (both p < 0.001), while significant categorical changes in instrumental activities of daily living, global cognition, depressive symptoms, and self-rated quality of life were observed only in 2022 (all p ≤ 0.01). Rural residence was associated with higher odds of improvement in basic activities of daily living (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.17–2.25; p = 0.004), whereas age ≥75 years was associated with lower odds of improvement in depressive symptoms (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.41–0.76; p < 0.001) and self-rated quality of life (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.45–0.94; p = 0.023). Conclusions: Participation in CEDIAM was associated with favorable changes, particularly in basic functional status and mobility, although responses varied across outcomes and participant subgroups. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Healthy, Safe and Active Aging, 3rd Edition)

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Open AccessArticle

A Pilot Feasibility Study of Mindful Walking in Older Adults: Exploratory Bayesian Estimates of Psychological Distress and Alexithymia

by Alessandro Germani, Antonella Lopez, Claudia Mirenghi, Manuela Nicoletta Di Masi and Andrea Bosco

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2026, 23(7), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23070836 - 25 Jun 2026

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Abstract

Population aging demands accessible interventions for psychological well-being in later life. This work evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-week mindful walking program in community-dwelling older adults and generated exploratory estimates of within-person change across emotional, psychosomatic, and psychological outcomes. Thirteen community-dwelling [...] Read more.

Population aging demands accessible interventions for psychological well-being in later life. This work evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-week mindful walking program in community-dwelling older adults and generated exploratory estimates of within-person change across emotional, psychosomatic, and psychological outcomes. Thirteen community-dwelling older adults participated in a pilot human trial with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Measures included depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, mindfulness, mind wandering, alexithymia, quality of life, and attachment style. Primary feasibility outcomes indicated high acceptability and participant satisfaction, good physiological tolerance and full adherence. Secondary exploratory analyses suggested within-person reductions in depressive symptoms and alexithymia, while somatic symptoms decreased notably by follow-up. Mindfulness increased and was maintained over time, while mind wandering displayed a probable long-term decrease. Psychological quality of life improved and remained elevated, whereas physical, social, and environmental quality-of-life domains showed uncertain trends. Trait anxiety decreased post-intervention but returned toward baseline at follow-up, while state anxiety and attachment styles remained stable. Within pilot design limits, mindful walking may be a feasible intervention for older adults, associated with exploratory within-person patterns suggesting possible improvements in certain psychological outcomes, which should be interpreted as preliminary and descriptive signals pending confirmation in controlled trials. These preliminary findings support further investigation in controlled trials to determine effectiveness and to formally test hypothesized mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Healthy, Safe and Active Aging, 3rd Edition)

10 pages, 259 KB  

Open AccessArticle

Prevalence and Clinical Associations of Osteosarcopenic Obesity and Frailty in Mexican Elderly Women: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

by Ricardo García-Cabello, Carlos Alberto Reyes-Torres, Ana Cecilia Cepeda-Nieto and Itzel López-Topete

J. Gerontol. Geriatr. 2026, 74(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/jgg74020015 - 5 Jun 2026

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Abstract

The coexistence of obesity, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia has been associated with adverse outcomes such as risk of falls, fractures, immobility, disability and frailty, yet data from Latin American populations are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associations of obesity, osteoporosis, [...] Read more.

The coexistence of obesity, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia has been associated with adverse outcomes such as risk of falls, fractures, immobility, disability and frailty, yet data from Latin American populations are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associations of obesity, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia—individually and combined—with frailty in Mexican elderly women. We conducted a cross-sectional study in which patients with body mass index < 18.5 kg/m², uncorrected sensory deficits, immobility, musculoskeletal diseases, or patients with implanted devices were excluded. Frailty was assessed using the FRAIL scale, obesity by body fat percentage, osteoporosis according to American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) guidelines and sarcopenia following the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People-2 (EWGSOP2) recommendations. A total of 115 participants aged ≥60 years were assessed between January and June 2025. Frailty was present in 21.7% of the patients; 67.0% had obesity, 72.2% osteoporosis, 20.0% sarcopenia and 13.0% osteosarcopenic obesity. Sarcopenic phenotypes were associated with frailty: odds ratios (95% CI) were 3.05 (1.12–8.26) for sarcopenia, 4.23 (1.42–12.55) for sarcopenic obesity and 3.98 (1.28–12.40) for osteosarcopenic obesity. Sarcopenic phenotypes showed associations with frailty in Mexican elderly women. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Healthy, Safe and Active Aging, 3rd Edition)

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