Systematic Review on the Social Participation Assessment Tool for Older Adults

Background Due to the extension of the life expectancy of the elderly population, the importance of living healthy rather than simply leading a life in old age is emphasized. It is difficult to maintain social participation for older adults because most of them experience the termination of work or childcare which have been their major life roles. Considering that social participation is a factor that has a multifaceted effect on the health of older adults, it is necessary to understand and promote older adults’ social participation. This systematic review aims to analyze the literature using social participation assessment tools for older adults and presented the frequency of use, assessment items, and methods of each assessment. Method Using databases from Pubmed, Medline, CINAHL, and Web of Science, a total of 2,423 studies were collected. 18 studies were selected according to the selection and exclusion criteria. Result 9 studies (50%) were published in the last five years. In the case of research design, 12 studies (66.6%) were designed as cross‐sectional survey studies, which were found to be the most common. There were a total of 11 assessment tools for older adults’ social participation among 18 studies. The most widely used assessment tool was Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE‐H), which was used in a total of 7 studies (38.9%). It was found that the components were different for each tool. Most of the assessment tools were in the form of self‐reporting questionnaires. Frequency of the participation was the most common method. Others asked the degree of difficulty and a number or status of participating activities. Conclusion In this study, a total of 18 pieces of literature were reviewed to analyze the assessment tool that measured the social participation of older adults of 65 and above. A total of 11 assessment tools were derived, and LIFE‐H was the most frequently used. Through this study, it is expected that clinicians or researchers can help when judging and selecting social participation assessment tools, and that appropriate tool selection can lead to a better understanding of the social participation of older adults.