To Örebro University

Improved life expectancy is a triumph of modern medicine. However, today’s senior citizens are predicted to soon consume 75% of the available health-care resources. Identifying new strategies to promote a healthy ageing process has thus become a priority. In contribution to the research field of healthy ageing this thesis is focused on the health and gut function of older adults. Paper I explored ‘optimal functionality’; a new approach to put the older adult’s own perspectives on health in focus. According to the results a plethora of factors related to the body, the self and the external environment needs to be considered in order to create a comprehensive understanding of the health experience in old age. Paper II characterised senior orienteering athletes as a new model of healthy ageing, due to their significantly better percived health as compared to other free-living older adults; in particular they report better gut health. As the gut is important to health maintenance and immune function paper III explored inflammation and oxidative stress in senior orienteering athletes, and older adults with gut problems, generally finding low levels in both groups. Subsequently, Paper IV investigated the health status of free-living older adults in Örebro County and also reports the results from a randomised controlled trial evaluating the effect of a probiotic supplement on self-reported health and gut symptoms. Two-thirds of the included older adults reported gut problems, however, the probiotic intervention failed to show any effects.

This thesis provides additional perspectives on older adults health and gut function, by concluding that 1) optimal functionality may be a useful concept to map areas of importance to the older adult’s health experience, 2) senior orienteers may be regarded as a suitable model to study healthy ageing, 3) the prevalence of gut problems among the general population of Swedish older adults is high, but was not improved by probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus reuteri.

At the Nutrition and Physical Activity Research Centre for Optimal Health and Functionality through Life (NUPARC), a research gap was uncovered regarding the concept optimal functionality based on the older adult’s own perspective. The overall aim was to explore the concept of optimal functionality among older adults and the possibility of creating and developing an ICT-platform to measure it. Method: An existing cohort from NUPARC was used for recruitment in studies I-III and to some extent study IV. A scoping study design and framework was adopted for the inclusion of the articles in Study I. Study II had a descriptive design. Six focus group discussions were conducted and analysed using qualitative deductive content analysis to extend the qualitative understanding. Study III used a phenomenological approach describing the experience of mental health and its impact on the ability to function as optimally as possible. Six interviews were analysed using Giorgi’s phenomenological approach. Study IV was a feasibility study and included 8 older adults using an ICTplatform for a period of four weeks. Results: Optimal Functionality comprises three major corner stones: Body-related factors, Self-related factors and External factors (I) accompanied by nine aspects, and according to older adults it is a matter of functioning as optimally as possible (II). The three major cornerstones are intricately linked and all but the mental aspects were included in the discussions (II). Life situations affecting mental health, consequences of mental health and strategies for maintaining good mental health were described by older adults as having an impact on mental health and affecting their ability to function as optimally as possible (III). The older adults managed the usage of an ICT-tool well and it was perceived as meaningful (IV). Conclusion: Optimal functionality is holistic, subjective, dynamic and applicable to all older adults. Identification of the factors involved can help the older adults on their path to health. An ICT-platform can facilitate the identification of the factors for optimal functionality and the eventual measurement of it.