Contributions of university activities to active aging: grounded theory.
Flávia Maria Derhun, Giovana Aparecida de Souza Scolari, Leidyani Karina Rissardo and 3 others
PMID 35107120WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults in a free university program described learning and social contact as helping them regain routine, confidence, and purpose.
They linked this to self-care, fall and violence awareness, and volunteering. The study did not test these effects.
Key findings
01Fourteen older adults, two coordinators, and six teachers described participation in the university program as contributing to health, participation, safety, and lifelong learning.
02Older adults described intellectual engagement as supporting self-efficacy and autonomy, helping them face everyday decisions.
03Health and safety topics were described as supporting self-care, medication knowledge, nutrition, physical activity, and awareness of falls and violence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done at one free university program in southern Brazil, so the themes may not apply to other older adults or settings. The elderly sample was 14 people, mostly with higher education or high school, and participants were approached for convenience. The main researcher had worked as a volunteer professor at the same program, which may have influenced access and interpretation. Interviews were conducted by video call or phone, so nonverbal cues may have been missed. The study reports perceptions and themes, not measured health, function, or participation outcomes.
Declared interests
The main researcher had worked for three years as a volunteer professor at the studied program, and the setting was selected for ease of access.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that university programs improve health, participation, or safety. It is a qualitative study of perceptions from 14 older adults, two coordinators, and six teachers at one institution.