Majority of Kazakhstani Citizens Neglect Healthy Aging Strategies, According to Recent Research
The Active Longevity Index (ALI) for 2023, recently reported by the Kazakh Bureau of National Statistics, reveals a mixed picture for the country's healthy aging practices. While the index shows an improvement compared to previous years, several interrelated biomedical and social factors continue to hinder a larger percentage of the population from fully engaging in active aging.
According to the ALI, 32.1% of Kazakhstan's population is currently practicing healthy aging, with men having a slightly higher rate at 32.9%, and women standing at 31.5%. The index, which provides separate scores for men and women, indicates a slight gender gap in healthy aging practices. Notably, the ALI score for both sexes combined increased by 2.5 percentage points compared to 2020.
The ALI consists of four domains: the last domain, capacity, and enabling environment, reflects the potential for active aging. However, the low percentage of the population engaging in healthy aging practices can be largely attributed to factors such as advanced age, low muscle strength, frailty, sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass), increased risk of fractures and osteoporosis, and being homebound or with limited mobility. These factors significantly increase functional dependence among older adults, limiting their ability to engage in health-promoting activities essential for healthy aging [1].
Additional context points that influence healthy aging engagement in Kazakhstan include high dependency levels, with about 43.3% of older adults (>60 years) being dependent due to factors like severe frailty and sarcopenia, which reduce functional autonomy [1]. Being confined at home exacerbates isolation and limits physical activity, critical components of healthy aging practices [1].
The healthcare and long-term care (LTC) system in Kazakhstan faces challenges that impact older populations. Although the country is making healthcare reforms, including pension system improvements and rural healthcare network development, older populations face gaps in personalized, preventive, and long-term care services that could help maintain functionality and promote active aging [1][5].
Socioeconomic and environmental factors also play a role. The country’s climate and geography may present additional barriers to outdoor physical activity. Moreover, while Kazakhstan has a relatively high Human Development Index, disparities in access to health resources and preventive care may impact engagement in healthy behaviors, particularly among vulnerable older adults [2].
In terms of the ALI's indicators, most measure active aging among people aged 55 years and older. The highest values were observed in indicators such as relative median income (100%), no risk of poverty (99.8%), formal education level (99.4%), and use of information and communications technology (95.1%). However, the lowest values were in participation in volunteer activities (0.2%), care for the sick and disabled (1.6%), and employment rate at the age of 70-74 years (3.0%) [3].
The World Health Organization defines active aging as "the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security to enhance quality of life as people age." The first three domains - employment, social participation, and independent/health/secure living - are direct indicators of active aging [4].
The ALI for 2023 indicates an improvement in healthy aging practices compared to 2020 and 2022. However, it also reveals that 67.9% of Kazakhstan's population is underutilizing their potential for active and healthy aging, highlighting the need for continued efforts to address the challenges faced by the older population.
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Scientists should consider investigating the impact of environmental factors, such as climate and geography, on outdoor physical activity for older adults in Kazakhstan, as these factors might be hindering a larger percentage of the population from fully engaging in active aging. The Kazakh healthcare and long-term care system could potentially improve active-aging practices by providing personalized, preventive, and long-term care services that cater to the needs of older adults, particularly the vulnerable ones.
