Latent profiles of the perceived age-friendliness of cities and communities in Colombia: relations to ageism experiences in later life.
11 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- 2HelpAge International, London, England.
- 3Colombian Network for Dignified and Active Ageing (RedCoenve), Bogotá, Colombia.
- 4Faculty of Law and Political Science, Los Libertadores University Foundation, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 5Legal Clinic and Conciliation Centre, Los Libertadores University Foundation, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 6Department of Public Health, University of Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia.
- 7Faculty of Nursing, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.
- 8Los Libertadores University, Bogotá, Colombia.
- 9Department of Social and Human Sciences, Simón Bolívar University, Barranquilla, Colombia.
- 10University for Seniors Program, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
- 11Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. [email protected].
Abstract
Age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC), together with initiatives to combat ageism, are recognised as two of the four action areas of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Healthy Ageing, have received global attention. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the distinct experiences of older adults in their cities and communities, as well as the extent to which these experiences are linked to their perceptions of ageism. Using a sample of 398 older adults from four cities in Colombia, a latent profile analysis was conducted via the manual three-step method, incorporating demographic covariates and distal outcomes, to identify distinct AFCC profiles among older adults. Three AFCC profiles emerged from the analysis: "high AFCC except financial support" (59.5%), "mixed AFCC with low outdoor spaces/buildings and financial support" (31.4%), and "low AFCC except respect/inclusion" (9.1%). Older adults with disabilities had a higher probability of belonging to the "mixed AFCC with low outdoor spaces/buildings and financial support" group, while age, gender, and subjective social status showed no significant association with profile membership. In addition, ageism experiences differed among the three profiles, as older adults with lower AFCC scores reported higher levels of ageism. The results suggested both a potential method effect associated with negative items in the AFCC, as well as differences in the contexts captured by the AFCC and ageism measures, with the former anchored in community environments and the latter spanning broader interpersonal, institutional, and self-directed experiences. In sum, our findings highlight the need to understand the distinct patterns in how older adults perceive their cities and communities, as well as identify those who may be "at risk" in specific domains.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026latent,
title = {{Latent profiles of the perceived age-friendliness of cities and communities in Colombia: relations to ageism experiences in later life.}},
author = {Xuefei Li and Marcela Bustamante and Nelson Andrés Tamayo Gaviria and Deinedt Castellanos and Álvaro Pío Jaramillo and Gina Paola Brochero and Elizabeth Fajardo Ramos and Estella Melguizo Herrera and Norma Yasmith Martínez Vargas and Juandavid Romero Escudero and Maya Abi Chahine and Aidan Timlin and Annie Wright and Aja Louise Murray},
journal = {BMC geriatrics},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12877-026-07735-w},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928146},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Latent profiles of the perceived age-friendliness of cities and communities in Colombia: relations to ageism experiences in later life.
AU - Xuefei Li
AU - Marcela Bustamante
AU - Nelson Andrés Tamayo Gaviria
AU - Deinedt Castellanos
AU - Álvaro Pío Jaramillo
AU - Gina Paola Brochero
AU - Elizabeth Fajardo Ramos
AU - Estella Melguizo Herrera
AU - Norma Yasmith Martínez Vargas
AU - Juandavid Romero Escudero
AU - Maya Abi Chahine
AU - Aidan Timlin
AU - Annie Wright
AU - Aja Louise Murray
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - BMC geriatrics
DO - 10.1186/s12877-026-07735-w
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928146
AB - Age-friendly cities and communities (AFCC), together with initiatives to combat ageism, are recognised as two of the four action areas of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Healthy Ageing, have received global attention. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the distinct experiences of older adults in their cities and communities, as well as the extent to which these experiences are linked to their perceptions of ageism. Using a sample of 398 older adults from four cities in Colombia, a latent profile analysis was conducted via the manual three-step method, incorporating demographic covariates and distal outcomes, to identify distinct AFCC profiles among older adults. Three AFCC profiles emerged from the analysis: "high AFCC except financial support" (59.5%), "mixed AFCC with low outdoor spaces/buildings and financial support" (31.4%), and "low AFCC except respect/inclusion" (9.1%). Older adults with disabilities had a higher probability of belonging to the "mixed AFCC with low outdoor spaces/buildings and financial support" group, while age, gender, and subjective social status showed no significant association with profile membership. In addition, ageism experiences differed among the three profiles, as older adults with lower AFCC scores reported higher levels of ageism. The results suggested both a potential method effect associated with negative items in the AFCC, as well as differences in the contexts captured by the AFCC and ageism measures, with the former anchored in community environments and the latter spanning broader interpersonal, institutional, and self-directed experiences. In sum, our findings highlight the need to understand the distinct patterns in how older adults perceive their cities and communities, as well as identify those who may be "at risk" in specific domains.
SN - 1471-2318
ER -