Background: Healthy aging has received growing interest, with intrinsic capacity as a novel concept for assessment. Disparities in healthy aging are significantly shaped by social determinants. However, an overall understanding of how multiple social determinants contribute to intrinsic capacity is still lacking. We aim to summarize observational studies investigating the relationships of social determinants and intrinsic capacity among community-dwelling adults.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted through Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and CINAHL until August 14, 2023.
Results: After reviewing 813 articles, we included 21 studies from nine countries in Asia, Europe, and America. Seventeen studies used a cross-sectional design and the others were longitudinal studies. The social determinants related to intrinsic capacity can be classified into five domains, containing socioeconomic status (16, 76.2% of studies), lifestyles (14, 66.7%), psychosocial factors (9, 42.9%), material circumstances (4, 19.0%), and healthcare systems (1, 4.8%). Strong evidence supported that better intrinsic capacity was associated with higher educational level, higher wealth, more physical activities, no smoking, more social engagement, and being married or partnered. The relationships of intrinsic capacity with dietary patterns and alcohol drinking were contradictory across studies. Research on the associations of working status, housing environments, and healthcare accessibility with intrinsic capacity was insufficient to draw conclusions.
Conclusion: These findings suggest the critical roles of socioeconomic status, lifestyles, and psychosocial factors in improving intrinsic capacity thus promoting healthy aging. Future research is needed to investigate causal relationships between social determinants and intrinsic capacity, especially material circumstances and healthcare systems.

Authors:
Ziting Huang, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Eric Lai, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Yan Luo, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Jean Woo, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Ziting Huang is a PhD student in Medical Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on geriatrics and epidemiology, with a particular emphasis on the determinants of healthy aging.

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Zi-Ting-Huang

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