Active Aging: A Systematic Literature Review of 2000-2014 SSCI Journal Articles

The World Health Organization propagated its Active Aging Policy Framework to guide international efforts in addressing global aging challenges. This systematic literature review and meta-analysis aim to evaluate to what extent ＂active aging＂ has been explored in journal articles in gerontology and how we researchers could further push the envelope going forward on this concept. We scanned all journal articles from Web of Science (WOS) in SSCI in the 21st century (a 15 year-span from 2000 to 2014) on active aging (N=205) by using WOS statistics and CLAN, a transcript analysis tool, to conduct meta- analysis. Results show: 1. Current research assets are not evenly distributed and are mostly concentrated in Europe. 2. The subject areas under gerontology that have been probed the most are social, environmental and educational. 3. The most recurring research themes are lifelong learning, employment and gender. 4. The most researched determinants on AA are gender and physical activities. 5. The most used outcome measurement of AA is Quality of Life (QOL). Our suggestions for future research directions: 1. AA research in developing countries should become top priority for international governments, especially longitudinal cohort studies, due to the population aging acceleration in those regions. 2. Global urbanization reinforces the need for further exploration of the scientifically proven correlates between physical environments and AA. 3. Inter-disciplinary researches on AA have become mandatory due to the complex nature of global aging challenges, such as how to apply rapid technological advancement to help AA. We hope that through our efforts, we can further build consensus and drive actions among international governments, NGOs, private sectors and constituents to address global aging issues; these require cohesive and concerted efforts in promoting active aging through cross-sectorial & inter-disciplinary efforts.