Social prescribing for older adults in mainland Portugal: Perceptions and future prospects

Costa, Andreia, Henriques, Joana, Alarcão, Violeta, Madeira, Teresa, Virgolino, Ana, Henriques, Adriana, Feteira-Santos, Rodrigo, Polley, Marie, Arriaga, Miguel and Nogueira, Paulo 2024. Social prescribing for older adults in mainland Portugal: Perceptions and future prospects. Preventive Medicine Reports. 39, p. 102652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102652

TitleSocial prescribing for older adults in mainland Portugal: Perceptions and future prospects
TypeJournal article
AuthorsCosta, Andreia, Henriques, Joana, Alarcão, Violeta, Madeira, Teresa, Virgolino, Ana, Henriques, Adriana, Feteira-Santos, Rodrigo, Polley, Marie, Arriaga, Miguel and Nogueira, Paulo
AbstractIn order to address health inequalities, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and promote older adults' quality of life, it is necessary to explore non-medical approaches such as social prescribing. Social prescribing is a person-centered approach that allows health professionals to refer patients to services provided by the social and community sectors. This study aimed to explore older adults' perceptions of social prescribing in mainland Portugal and to identify factors associated with these perceptions, providing insights for future implementation strategies. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 613 older adults aged 65 to 93. Participants' sociodemographic, economic, and health characteristics were assessed, along with their perceptions of social prescribing's benefits and activity interest. Over 75% of respondents agreed that social prescribing would benefit the health system and their community. Most participants (87.7% and 89.7%, respectively) thought that activities like personal protection and development activities and cultural enrichment would be particularly relevant to them. Factors such as marital status, education, health status, and pain/discomfort levels influenced the perceived relevance of these activities. This study reveals that older adults in mainland Portugal are open to social prescribing and suggests that tailored interventions considering individual preferences and characteristics can lead to more effective implementation and equal access to social prescribing. Further research and policy efforts should focus on integrating social prescribing into the healthcare system to support healthy aging in Portugal. [Abstract copyright: © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.]
KeywordsPerson-centered
Quality of life
Older adults
Portugal
Social prescribing
JournalPreventive Medicine Reports
Journal citation39, p. 102652
ISSN2211-3355
Year2024
PublisherElsevier
Publisher's version
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File Access Level
Open (open metadata and files)
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102652
PubMed ID38384966
Publication dates
Published online11 Feb 2024

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