Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40287679›Full record

ArticleBMC geriatrics2025

Developing an indicator for community-level age-friendly communities: the Japan gerontological evaluation study.

Satoko Fujihara, Taiji Noguchi, Kazushige Ide, Seungwon Jeong, Katsunori Kondo, Toshiyuki Ojima

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Satoko FujiharaResearch Department Institute for Health Economics and Policy, Association for Health Economics Research and Social Insurance and Welfare, 1-21-19. Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 101-0001, Japan. fujihara.s0821@gmail.com.
Taiji NoguchiDepartment of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan.
Kazushige IdeDepartment of Community Building for Well-being, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Seungwon JeongDepartment of Social Science, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Research Institute, Aichi, Japan.
Katsunori KondoResearch Department Institute for Health Economics and Policy, Association for Health Economics Research and Social Insurance and Welfare, 1-21-19. Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 101-0001, Japan.
Toshiyuki OjimaDepartment of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Shizuoka, Japan.

Funding

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 20H00557, 20K10540, 21H03153, 21H03196, 21K17302, 21K11108, 21H00792, 22H00934, 22H03299, 22K04450, 22K17409, 23H00449, 23H03117Health Labour Sciences Research Grants 19FA1012, 19FA2001, 21FA1012, 22FA2001, 22FA1010, 22FG2001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAge-friendly communities (AFCs) aim to create inclusive societies for older adults. The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights dementia considerations in AFC development; however, few community-level indicators include these elements. This study aimed to develop a community-level AFC indicator incorporating dementia-friendly elements based on WHO guidelines and to test its validity and reliability.

methodsA repeated cross-sectional design used data from the 2016 and 2019 waves of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) covering 61 school districts in 16 municipalities (45,162 individuals aged 65 and older in 2016 and 39,313 in 2019). The 2016 and 2019 datasets served as the development and retest samples, respectively. The item selection process involved extracting indicators from the JAGES survey items that aligned with WHO guidelines as well as those based on prior research on dementia-friendly communities (DFCs). Following expert consultations, 23 candidate items were identified. Data were aggregated at the school district level. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the 2016 data to derive the factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess model fit. The reproducibility of the factor structure was evaluated using EFA on the 2019 retest sample. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed.

resultsThe final 17-item indicator comprised three subscales: Social inclusion and dementia-friendliness (7 items, α = 0.86; e.g., Sense of belonging to the community), Social engagement and communication (5 items, α = 0.78; e.g., Participation in hobby groups), and Age-friendly physical environment (5 items, α = 0.82; e.g., Accessibility of barrier-free streets). The CFA showed an unsatisfactory model fit; however, test-retest reliability was adequate (r = 0.71-0.79; ICC = 0.67-0.78).

conclusionsA valid and reliable 17-item community-level indicator was developed, aligning with the WHO framework and incorporating dementia-friendly elements. This indicator is a valuable tool for monitoring, evaluation, and inter-community comparisons, aiding the development of AFCs and DFCs in aging societies like Japan. Additionally, this indicator can be adapted for other high-income countries with similar socioeconomic backgrounds, healthcare systems, and community structures, providing a useful tool for age- and dementia-friendly initiatives. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

DementiaGeriatricsIndependent LivingResidence CharacteristicsAgedAged, 80 and overCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansJapanMaleReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesAge-friendly communitiesCommunity-level indicatorsDementia-friendly communitiesHealthy aging

Identifiers

PMID40287679
PMCPMC12032818

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.