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The ability to efficiently combine information from different senses is an important perceptual process that underpins much of our daily activities. This process, known as multisensory integration, varies from individual to individual, and is affected by the ageing process, with impaired processing associated with age-related conditions, including balance difficulties, mild cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. Impaired multisensory perception has also been associated with a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, where novel intervention approaches are actively sought, for example dyslexia and autism. However, it remains unclear to what extent and how multisensory perception can be modified by training. This systematic review aims to evaluate the evidence that we can train multisensory perception in neurotypical adults. In all, 1521 studies were identified following a systematic search of the databases PubMed, Scopus, PsychInfo and Web of Science. Following screening for inclusion and exclusion criteria, 27 studies were chosen for inclusion. Study quality was assessed using the Methodological Index for Non-Randomised Studies (MINORS) tool and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool 2.0 for Randomised Control Trials. We found considerable evidence that in-task feedback training using psychophysics protocols led to improved task performance. The generalisability of this training to other tasks of multisensory integration was inconclusive, with few studies and mixed findings reported. Promising findings from exercise-based training indicate physical activity protocols warrant further investigation as potential training avenues for improving multisensory integration. Future research directions should include trialling training protocols with clinical populations and other groups who would benefit from targeted training to improve inefficient multisensory integration.

Background and Objectives Self-reported sensory data provide important insight into an individual’s perception of sensory ability. It remains unclear what factors predict longitudinal change in self-reported sensory ability across multiple modalities during healthy aging. This study examined these associations in a cohort of older adults for vision, hearing, taste, and smell. Research Design and Methods Data on self-report sensory ability were drawn from 5,065 participants of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (mean age at baseline = 61.6, SD = 9.5, range 32–93 years; 59% female; resident in the Republic of Ireland) across 6 waves of data collection (2009–2021). Covariates included demographics, lifestyle factors, and measures of sensory, physical, mental, and cognitive health. Independent discrete survival analyses were performed for each sensory modality. Results A transition to self-reported fair/poor hearing was most prevalent (21% of the sample), followed by fair/poor vision (19%), smell (11%), and taste (6%). Participants who self-reported fair/poor function in one sensory modality were likely to report fair/poor ability in another sensory modality, although not for all pairings. Only self-rated fair/poor health was associated with increased odds of self-reported fair/poor ability across all sensory modalities. Age was associated with increased odds of self-reported fair/poor hearing, smell, and taste, as was current smoker status (vision, smell, and taste). Several other sensory (e.g., eye disease, hearing aid use) and nonsensory covariates (e.g., education, depression) were associated with the odds of self-reported fair/poor ability in one or two sensory modalities only. Discussion and Implications Over time, older adults perceive associations in fair/poor ability for multiple sensory modalities, albeit somewhat inconsistently. Both modality-general and modality-specific factors are associated with a transition from normal to fair/poor sensory ability. These results suggest the need for more routine testing of multiple senses with increasing age.

Background: Those high in the temperament trait Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) are more at risk of mental health issues due to sensitivity to unfavourable environments, while thriving in favourable environments. The literature has grown exponentially in recent years examining high SPS mental health outcomes in applied settings. In this systematic scoping review, we mapped and evaluated the methodological rigueur of existing research on the impact of physical, psychological and social environments on psychological outcomes of those with high levels of SPS. Methods: Conducted following the guidelines of Arksey and O’ Malley (2005) and following the PRISMA-ScR checklist. 671 studies were screened and 63 studies were included in the final review. Results: Thematic analysis indicated the environments most studied were sensory, occupational, and social environments, particularly parenting and childhood circumstances. Negative psychological outcomes were most represented. Paradigms included surveys, experimental tasks and little qualitative research. The quality of the studies was generally good with potential for methodological improvements. Conclusions: The SPS-environment association for each type of environment needs to be more systematically investigated, lifespan studies are missing and studies are lacking on underlying mechanisms and positive environments allowing high SPS to thrive.

Objectives:Perceptions of ageing can become a self-fulfilling prophecy for older adults, with those who hold more negative views of ageing experiencing more negative consequences of the ageing process, including poorer health and cognitive declines. Exposure to negative stereotypes about their group can also affect older adults performance in cognitive tests, as they are more likely to adopt a prevention focus to avoid mistakes, therefore, performing poorly in tasks requiring them to adopt a gains-oriented focus. Based on regulatory focus theory, we hypothesised that negative perceptions of ageing and stereotype threat may be connected, specifically we hypothesised that those with more negative perceptions of ageing would also have a stronger trait prevention focus.Method: Two hundred adults aged 60+ took part in an online questionnaire examining their perceptions of ageing and their trait regulatory focus.Results and Conclusion: Results indicated that negative perceptions of ageing were predictive of a stronger trait prevention focus in a hierarchical multiple regression model. This provides evidence that older adults with more negative perceptions of ageing may adopt a stronger prevention focus, potentially influencing psychological attitudes to everyday tasks and behaviours. Perceptions of ageing and regulatory focus can have implications for the efficacy of health messaging for older adults.

Multisensory perception might provide an important marker of brain function in aging. However, the cortical structures supporting multisensory perception in aging are poorly understood. In this study, we compared regional gray matter volume in a group of middle-aged (n = 101; 49–64 years) and older (n = 116; 71–87 years) adults from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging using voxel-based morphometry. Participants completed a measure of multisensory integration, the sound-induced flash illusion, and were grouped as per their illusion susceptibility. A significant interaction was observed in the right angular gyrus; in the middle-aged group, larger gray matter volume corresponded to stronger illusion perception while in older adults larger gray matter corresponded to less illusion susceptibility. This interaction remained significant even when controlling for a range of demographic, sensory, cognitive, and health variables. These findings show that multisensory integration is associated with specific structural differences in the aging brain and highlight the angular gyrus as a possible “cross-modal hub” associated with age-related change in multisensory perception.

While there is evidence for the effects of positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in the Western world, we know little about their effects on Arab cultures. This review aimed to assess the effects of PPIs on well-being and mental health across Arab countries. Systematic searches of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies investigating PPIs in Arabia were conducted in six English and Arabic databases from the inception of positive psychology in 1998 to 28 February 2022. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tools. The protocol was published in the BMJ Open. Forty-four studies from 10 Arab countries (n = 3598 participants) were included. Of these, 12 were RCTs and 32 were quasi-experimental. The studies mainly focused on adults (73%) and healthy populations (86%). PPIs included mindfulness, positive thinking, strengths, hope, optimism, self-compassion, positive traits, and multiple PPIs. Nearly all studies (91%) mentioned cultural adaptation; however, little detail was given. This is the first review in Arabia. PPIs appear to be effective for promoting well-being and reducing mental health issues. However, there were some risks of bias concerns. Future research should include younger and clinical populations, using larger samples and providing more details about adaptation.

Recent studies suggest that the lived environment can affect cognition across the lifespan. We examined, in a large cohort of older adults (n = 3447), whether susceptibility to a multisensory illusion, the Sound-Induced Flash Illusion (SIFI), was influenced by the reported urbanity of current and childhood (at age 14 years) residence. If urban environments help to shape healthy perceptual function, we predicted reduced SIFI susceptibility in urban dwellers. Participants reporting urban, compared with rural, childhood residence were less susceptible to SIFI at longer Stimulus-Onset Asynchronies (SOAs). Those currently residing in urban environments were more susceptible to SIFI at longer SOAs, particularly if they scored low on general cognitive function. These findings held even when controlling for a several covariates, such as age, sex, education, social participation and cognitive ability. Exposure to urban environments in childhood may influence individual differences in perception and offer a multisensory perceptual benefit in older age.

In the Sound-Induced Flash Illusion (SIFI) sound dramatically alters visual perception, as presenting a single flash with two beeps results in the perception of two flashes. In this comprehensive review, we synthesise 20 years of research using the SIFI, from over 100 studies. We discuss the neural and computational principles governing this illusion and examine the influence of perceptual experience, development, ageing and clinical conditions. Convergent findings show that the SIFI results from optimal integration and probabilistic inference and directly reflects crossmodal interactions in the temporal domain. Its neural basis lies in early modulation of visual cortex by auditory and multisensory regions. The SIFI shows increasingly strong potential as an efficient tool for measuring multisensory processing. Greater harmonisation across studies is now required to maximise this potential. We therefore propose considerations for researchers relating to choice of stimulus parameters and signpost directions for future research.

Heightened sensitivity to the environment characterizes approximately 30% of the population and is associated with a higher reactivity, positive or negative, to the surrounding environment. Little attention has been devoted to study the association between this trait and the response to nature and animals, despite the potential benefits of the natural environment for highly sensitive individuals. In the present two studies (N = 241, 83% female, age M = 37.43, SD = 13.5; N = 144, 92% female, age M = 39.9, SD = 13.1) we assessed the association of sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), measured with the Highly Sensitive Person scale, with nature and animal affinity. In both studies, we found SPS to predict higher connectedness to nature. In addition, whilst there was no association between high SPS and attachment to pets in Study 1, in Study 2 SPS was predictive of a higher animal affinity, assessed in terms of stewardship and protection of animals. The present studies provide the first quantitative empirical evidence that highly sensitive individuals are more connected with nature and animals, therefore opening the possibility to explore nature based solutions to improve the quality of life in individuals scoring high in SPS.

Promoting physical activity amongst older adults represents a major public health goal and community-led exercise programmes present benefits in promoting active lifestyles. Commercial activity trackers potentially encourage positive behaviour change with respect to physical exercise. This qualitative study investigated the experiences and attitudes of older adults following a 6-week community-led walking programme utilising activity trackers. Eleven community-dwelling older women aged 60+ completed individual phone interviews following their involvement in the programme. The programme, codesigned with a group of senior citizens, equipped participants with wrist-worn activity trackers and included biweekly check-in sessions with a researcher to monitor progress and support motivation. Interviews explored participants’ experiences of the programme and of using activity trackers for the purpose of becoming more active. A thematic analysis produced three main themes: ‘programme as a source of motivation’, ‘user experiences with the technology’ and ‘views on social dimension of the programme’. Overall, participants highlighted the self-monitoring function of activity trackers as most beneficial for their exercise levels. This study provides insights into the personal and social factors perceived by older adults in relation to being part of a community-led programme using activity trackers. It highlights the role of the programme and trackers in maintaining motivation to stay active.

Background In ageing, multisensory integration, i.e. the ability to combine efficiently information from different sensory modalities, is emerging as a stand-alone contributor to explaining cognitive and functional deficits. Experimental evidence shows that inefficient multisensory integration is associated with cognitive impairment, falls and balance maintenance; however these findings need to be supported by large population representative studies. We utilised the Sound-induced flash illusion (SIFI) as test of multisensory efficiency; the test was conducted on a population representative sample from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). We hypothesized that Susceptibility to the SIFI would increase with ageing and would be associated with poorer Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. Methods Participants: 3,955 adults aged 50 years and over. Participants provided informed consent. Data were drawn from the third wave of the TILDA study, in which participants took part in a Computer Assisted Interview and a Health Assessment. The SIFI test was part of the Health Assessment; SIFI is a computer-based test in which participants see a series of white dots appearing quickly on the screen, which participants are required to count; the dots (flashes) can be paired with 0, 1 or 2 beeps; when one dot is paired with two beeps, there is the illusory perception that two dots are presented. A hierarchical Bayesian, ordinal-regression model was used to determine which variables predicted audio-visual integration (SIFI proportion of correct responses, i.e. no illusions). We controlled for a range of covariates. Results As predicted, higher susceptibility to the SIFI, indicating higher integration of audio-visual information, was associated with older age, and poorer scores at MoCA. Female sex was also associated with higher susceptibility, which represents a novel result in the literature. Conclusion The present study presents the first findings on multisensory integration in a large population representative study. They confirm that inefficient integration is associated with ageing, poorer cognition and, unexpectedly, being female.

Background Multisensory perception is the ability to merge information from different sensory modalities. There is a growing interest in identifying ways to improve multisensory perception abilities in older adults, as inefficient multisensory processing has been linked to cognitive and functional impairments. Previous research has shown multisensory perception can be improved in young adults through training their simultaneity judgement. In the present study, we tested whether two different versions of this successful training protocol could train audio-visual abilities in older adults. Methods Fifty-eight (32 female) community dwelling and cognitively healthy older adults participated in this study. The age range was 60 – 85 (M=72.47, SD = 6.46). Recruitment was completed through active retired and community-based HSE Falls groups. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions; synchronous or asynchronous training. Each group performed a similar computer-based training protocol, the difference between groups being the instruction given during training. Participants’ multisensory processing was assessed using the Sound-induced Flash Illusion (SiFI) which measures processing efficiency based on susceptibility to an audio-visual illusion. Results After 3 days of training, the Analysis of Variance on multisensory thresholds revealed no significant main effect of Training Group [F(1, 42) = .22, p = .64, partial eta squared = .005], Time [F(1, 42) = .007, p = .93, partial eta squared Conclusion These results provide useful information for future studies exploring ways to train multisensory processing in older adults. We argue the cognitive demands of the computer-based task may account for the lack of an effect in older adults. Our findings highlight the role of task demands and cognitive load as factors to consider in future training studies with older adults.

IntroductionDespite the growing volume of published studies on the effects of positive psychology interventions (PPIs), little is known about their effectiveness outside of Western countries, particularly in Arab countries. As the effectiveness of PPIs in this region remains unclear, a systematic review focusing on this area of research can offer a valuable contribution. Here, we present a protocol for the first systematic review that aims to examine the effects of PPIs on increasing well-being, quality of life and resilience and decreasing depression, anxiety and stress for both health and clinical, child and adult populations in Arab countries.Methods and analysisThis protocol is carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols guidelines. A systematic literature search for studies up to 30 April 2021 will be conducted in the following electronic databases: PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Dar Al Mandumah and Al Manhal. Experimental/quasi-experimental quantitative studies evaluating the effects of PPIs on healthy and clinical participants of all ages in the 22 Arab countries will be included. Outcomes will include psychological effects of PPIs on dimensions related to well-being (eg, happiness), quality of life, resilience, depression, anxiety and stress. The risk of bias will be evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. A narrative synthesis with tables of study characteristics will be provided. A meta-analysis will be included if outcomes allow; in this instance, subgroups analysis will be conducted, depending on the data gathered, to examine differences in effect sizes based on age group, population type, duration of intervention and type of intervention.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval was not required for the performance of this systematic review. We intend to publish the study in a peer-reviewed journal and share the findings at relevant conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020198092.

The COVID-19 outbreak imposed to Italian families many changes in their daily life increasing the risk of developing psychological problems. The present study explored risk factors associated with parenting stress and implications for children's emotion regulation in families with different socioeconomic risks. Parents of 2-14 years old children completed a survey reporting difficulties experienced due to the lockdown, level of household chaos, parenting stress, parent involvement in the child's daily life, and children emotion regulation competences. The general mean levels of parenting stress and children emotion regulation abilities were not at clinical level compared with Italian norms. Household chaos predicted higher levels of parenting stress, which, in turn, was associated with less effective emotion regulation in children through the mediating role of parental involvement. More stressed parents were less involved in their children's activities, decreasing children's effective emotion regulation. Only for SES no-risk families, the lockdown constraints increased parenting stress. For SES at-risk families, the impact of parenting stress and involvement on children regulation strategies was stronger, with a protective role played by parental involvement on children's negativity not evident for SES no-risk families. Dealing with the lockdown is a stressful experience for parents who have to balance personal life, work, and children upbringing, without other help. This situation potentially impairs their ability to be supportive caregivers and is consequently detrimental for children well-being. Policies should take into consideration the implications of the lockdown for families' mental health and tailor supportive interventions according to family's risk factors.El brote de la COVID-19 impuso a las familias italianas muchos cambios en su vida cotidiana, los cuales aumentaron el riesgo de desarrollar problemas psicológicos. El presente estudio analizó los factores de riesgo asociados con el estrés de la crianza y las consecuencias para la regulación emocional de los hijos en familias con diferentes riesgos socioeconómicos. Un grupo de padres de niños de entre dos y 14 años contestó una encuesta donde informó las dificultades vividas debido al confinamiento, el nivel de caos en el hogar, el estrés en la crianza, la participación de los padres en la vida diaria de los hijos y las competencias de los hijos para regular sus emociones. Los niveles promedio generales de estrés en la crianza y las habilidades de regulación emocional en los niños no estuvieron a nivel clínico en comparación con las normas italianas. El caos en el hogar predijo niveles más altos de estrés en la crianza, el cual, a su vez, estuvo asociado con una menor regulación emocional eficaz en los niños mediante el rol mediador de la participación de los padres. Los padres más estresados participaron menos en las actividades de sus hijos, lo cual disminuyó la regulación emocional eficaz en los niños. Solo en los casos de las familias sin riesgo socioeconómico las limitaciones del confinamiento aumentaron el estrés en la crianza. Para las familias de riesgo socioeconómico, el efecto del estrés en la crianza y la participación en las estrategias de regulación emocional de los niños fue más profundo, y en el caso de las familias sin riesgo socioeconómico, no se evidenció el papel protector desempeñado por la participación de los padres en la negatividad de los niños. Lidiar con el confinamiento es una experiencia estresante para los padres que tienen que compatibilizar la vida personal, el trabajo y la educación de los niños sin ninguna otra ayuda. Esta situación puede deteriorar su capacidad de ser cuidadores comprensivos y, como consecuencia, ser perjudicial para el bienestar de los niños. Las políticas deberían tener en cuenta las consecuencias del confinamiento en la salud mental de las familias y adaptar intervenciones de apoyo de acuerdo con los factores de riesgo de las familias.新冠肺炎疫情给意大利家庭的日常生活带来许多变化，增加了出现心理问题的风险。本研究探讨不同社会经济风险家庭中，与父母压力相关的风险因素及它们对儿童情绪调节的影响。2至14岁儿童的父母完成了一项调查，报告了由于禁闭、家庭混乱程度、父母压力、父母参与儿童日常生活和儿童情绪调节能力所经历的困境。与意大利标准相比，养育压力和儿童情绪调节能力的一般平均水平没有达到临床水平。家庭混乱预示着更高程度的父母压力，反过来，通过父母参与的中介作用，孩子的情绪调节能力更低。父母压力越大，参与孩子活动就越少，孩子有效情绪调节能力就越弱。只有对没有社会经济地位风险的家庭来说，禁闭才会增加养育子女的压力。在有社会经济地位风险的家庭中，父母的压力和参与对儿童调节策略的影响更大，而父母参与对儿童消极情绪的保护作用在没有社会经济地位风险的家庭中并不明显。 对于那些不得不在没有其他帮助的情况下平衡个人生活、工作和抚养孩子的父母来说，应对禁闭是一件很有压力的事情。这种情况可能损害他们成为支持性照顾者的能力，因此对儿童的福祉有害。政策应考虑到封锁对家庭心理健康的影响，并根据家庭的风险因素制定支持性干预措施。.

Background: Understanding the impact of local communities on wellbeing is a paramount Sustainable Development Goal. In order to inform people-centred planning interventions, it is important to understand what demographic groups need supportive communities the most and where. This study explored associations between perceived neighbourhood characteristics and cognitive vulnerability, and the moderating role of age and urbanity of the place of residence. Methods: A convenience sample of 224 Irish adults completed a survey assessing cognitive vulnerability and perceptions of neighbourhood qualities, together with sociodemographic and residential information. Correlational analyses explored bivariate associations as well as moderating effects. A subsample (n = 142) provided qualitative accounts of their preferences of neighbourhood characteristics. Results: Regression analyses showed that controlling for sociodemographic factors, higher self-reported neighbourhood pleasantness was associated with lower cognitive vulnerability, particularly in older adults who lived in the most rural and urban areas (p = 0.006). Qualitative accounts suggested urban&ndash, rural variations in perceived accessibility and perceptual stressors, and age-related variations in social preferences. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a complex association between neighbourhood characteristics and cognitive wellbeing, highlighting the potential benefits of neighbourhood pleasantness for cognition particularly for older people in very rural or very urbanised places. Implications for research and environmental interventions are discussed.

The benefits of exposure to nature for health and wellbeing have been demonstrated across multiple disciplines. Recent work has sought to establish one “dose” or type of nature exposure that is universally beneficial, which has proven difficult. We use the principles of psychopharmacology to look beyond the use of dose as a concept for prescribing nature. Instead, we posit a multidimensional model of bioavailability of nature to shift the focus beyond universal effects, and instead consider the relationship between health and nature as dynamic, changeable, and heavily contextual. We propose that the bioavailability of nature interactions is constructed through understanding route of administration, dose, and concentration. By delineating the mechanisms of health benefit derived from the type of behavioural interaction (through being, doing, living), the route of administration of nature interactions may be highly variable not just between, but also within, individuals. We propose concentration as being a meeting between the subjective aspects of the individual and the subjective qualities of the nature at that specific time and place. We use a “green equation”, for mapping the processes and pathways that belie the interaction between the person and their environment. Here, the nature/health association as a dynamic interaction, and we operationalise this within a multidimensional construct of bioavailability. We provide an overview of this testable model, and summarise with preliminary evidence as well as a research agenda for the future.

Objectives: To investigate whether the relationship between subjective age-related hearing loss (SARHL) and episodic memory functioning is mediated by measures of social functioning. Methods: Using data from 8,163 adults over 50 that participated in the Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (three waves, each two years apart), we used a multiple mediation model within a Structural Equation Modelling framework to explore potential social mediators of the relationship between SARHL and episodic memory functioning, controlling for demographic and health covariates. Results: Neither the direct effect of self-reported hearing difficulties on memory functioning (β = -.03), nor the total effect (β = .01), were significant. A small inconsistent indirect effect of self-reported hearing difficulties on episodic memory via weekly social activity engagement (β = -.002) was found. Conclusions: Self-reported hearing difficulties may exert an indirect effect on episodic memory via weekly social activity engagement. The findings may have implications for identification of individuals at risk of memory decline in later life.

Sensory impairment is common in ageing, as are approaches to treat it. However, the impact of age-related sensory impairment upon multisensory perception remains unexplored, despite the multisensory nature of our environment. Here, we used data from The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (TILDA) to investigate whether common, age-related eye diseases (cataracts, glaucoma and Age-Related Macular Degeneration, ARMD) and clinical intervention to improve sensory function (cataract removal and hearing aids) influence multisensory integration in older adults. Integration was measured using the Sound-Induced Flash Illusion (SIFI), and the extent to which identifying two flashes was improved by accompanying auditory information ("visual gain"). Visual gain was not influenced by eye disease or treatment. For the SIFI, participants self-reporting cataracts, ARMD or glaucoma were as susceptible as healthy controls, even when controlling for age, sex, cognition, self-reported vision/hearing and visual acuity. In a second analysis using retinal photographs, glaucoma and ARMD (hard drusen) did not influence susceptibility relative to controls. However, participants with soft drusen ARMD were more susceptible to the illusion at long Stimulus-Onset Asynchronies (SOAs) compared with controls. Following this, we identified groups reporting bilateral cataract removal or hearing aid acquisition >4 years and

While creativity is a vastly debated topic, little research has been dedicated to determining whether exercise can boost cognitive factors associated with creativity, such as divergent thinking. Yoga, as a form of exercise, comprises physical activity and open-monitoring meditation, which may increase divergent thinking. We compared performance on a test of divergent thinking in healthy adults, the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA), and one test of convergent thinking and field independence, the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), before and after one session of ashtanga yoga, and one session of aerobic exercise. Divergent thinking was not affected by either intervention overall; however, fluency of novel ideas generated was reduced post-intervention in both groups. Practice effects were registered for the convergent thinking task, and those in the yoga group performed better at this task both at baseline and following yoga, although yoga did not lead to a greater change from baseline performance. The current findings do not suggest that one bout of yoga is associated with an immediate cognitive benefit. However, further research is required onto whether long-term yoga practice may enhance divergent thinking.

Background: As the European population ages, it becomes increasingly important to promote and facilitate healthy and active ageing and age-friendly societies. Professionals across a range of disciplines and sectors need knowledge and skills to support both. Objective: This scoping review aims to identify and map the literature on learning needs, learning outcomes and respective curricula in healthy and active ageing and age-friendly society concepts. Inclusion criteria: Studies focused on the teaching/learning process in healthy and active ageing and/or age-friendly society, of any design type, are eligible. Included studies may focus on undergraduate, postgraduate or continuing education and on any aspect of the educational process, such as needs analysis, content delivery, learner satisfaction/acceptability, or education outcome. Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for conducting scoping reviews. Four electronic databases, PubMed, EBSCO (Academic Search Complete), Scopus and Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), will be searched, limited to studies published from 1st January 2000. Text language will be limited to English, German, Greek, Portuguese, Finnish, and Slovenian. Google Scholar and Research Gate will be searched for grey literature, limited to the first 50 results of each. Title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening will be undertaken independently by at least two reviewers. The JBI extraction tool will be adapted for data extraction. Quality assessment will be conducted using a tool developed by Hawker and colleagues. A narrative synthesis will outline the data in relation to the aims and objectives outlined.

To determine if self-reported unsteadiness during walking is associated with fear of falling (FOF), fear-related activity restriction, falls, and disability over 2 years in community-dwelling adults.Data were obtained from the first 2 waves of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, a population-based study.Participants completed a home-based interview and a center-based health assessment at baseline and a home-based interview at 2 years follow-up.Community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years, with Mini-Mental State Examination score ≥18 at baseline, and fully observed variables were included in the analyses (N = 1621).Outcome variables were FOF, fear-related activity restriction, recurrent falls, and disability.Unsteadiness was independently associated with an increased risk of all outcomes at follow-up after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, and physical, mental, and cognitive health (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] range 1.49-2.29; P .05). All associations were attenuated after adjusting for usual gait speed but remained consistent in direction. The association was strongest for fear-related activity restriction [IRR = 1.82 (1.21-2.73); P .01]. There was also evidence of an association between unsteadiness and an increased risk of activity restriction in adults who did not report FOF at baseline [IRR = 1.99 (1.10-3.61); P .05].Self-reported unsteadiness is independently associated with an increased risk of FOF, fear-related activity restriction, recurrent falls, and disability at follow-up. Self-reported balance/steadiness should be included in routine assessment of older adults especially those at risk of falls. As unsteadiness is modifiable, older adults should be targeted for balance-related training or medication review to minimize future risk of these outcomes.