Completed
Food and physical activity among older adults in the Nordic region
Public health
Healthy eating habits and physical activity have a positive impact on health, social participation, and functionality in late adulthood. The Nordic Welfare Centre’s project “Diet and Physical Activity among Older Adults in the Nordic Region” intends to strengthen policy development in individual countries to promote healthy eating habits and adequate physical activity even in the early years of old age. Good eating habits and physical activity support an active, healthy life in old age and reduce the burden of disease among elderly people in the Nordic region.
Improving one’s lifestyle habits reduces the risk for non-communicable chronic diseases. Risk factors such as high blood pressure and an unhealthy blood fat profile can be addressed by improved lifestyle habits, even later in life. Healthy eating habits and sufficient physical activity in older adults help to prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases.
Age-related muscle loss can adversely affect strength and balance and thus increase risk of falls in older adults. This can be countered by healthy eating habits and muscle-strengthening exercise including flexibility and balance training exercise, as this helps to maintain functionality and reduces the risk of a downward spiral of inactivity, loss of appetite and frailty.
Having the opportunity to eat together with others, enjoy the food and be involved in joint physical activities contributes to joy and a sense of community. In this context, the social aspects of food and physical activity must also be considered.
Taken together, health promotive strategies supporting healthy eating habits and sufficient physical activity are important for quality of life, well-being and wellness in late adulthood. Furthermore, health-promotive strategies can reduce the economic burden of disease and illness in the welfare society. Even though the individuals decide on their own lifestyle habits, supportive societal structures can facilitate healthy practices and reduce health inequity among older adults in the Nordic region.
Project results
Nordic health indicators and an analysis of comparative Nordic statistics that are important for the health of older people in relation to diet and physical activity were published in early 2022, in the reports entitled Indicators for Active and Healthy Ageing in the Nordic Region and Active and Healthy Ageing: Heterogenous perspectives and Nordic indicators.
At the beginning of 2023, the webinar Strategies and structures for health-enhancing meals and physical activity among older adults in the Nordic countries (in Scandinavian languages) was broadcast. The webinar featured the sharing of current Nordic examples of national strategies, regulations and educational initiatives to promote good eating habits and prevent malnutrition. Examples were also presented of societal structures that support physical activity among older adults.
In 2024, a knowledge base will be published with Nordic examples of national strategies and guidelines that support health-enhancing initiatives through diet and physical activity in older adults, with a focus on the 65-80 age group. The knowledge base will also provide an evidence-based overview of the importance of food and exercise in preventing common diseases in older adults, as well as suggestions for effective health-enhancing initiatives in Nordic municipalities.
Target groups
The project’s target groups include civil servants employed at ministries, government agencies, county administrative boards and regional and local authorities. The project is also aimed at those who work in civil society organizations such as community associations, associations representing senior citizens and other interest groups working with issues related to late adulthood.
Reports
Older adults
7 Jun 2022
Active and Healthy Ageing: Heterogenous perspectives and Nordic indicators
The aim of this report is to emphasise why there is a need for a more heterogenous perspective on active and healthy ageing. A ran [...]
Older adults
4 Apr 2022
Indicators for Active and Healthy Ageing in the Nordic Region
Population ageing is a major demographic trend affecting the policy agenda in the Nordic Region, in Europe, and globally. The repo [...]