Older adults' engagement with social prescribing to active ageing centres in Singapore: a qualitative study from public primary care.
8 affiliations
- 1NHG Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore. [email protected].
- 2NHG Khatib Polyclinic, 690 Yishun Ring Rd, Singapore, 769567, Singapore. [email protected].
- 3NHG Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore.
- 4Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
- 5MOH Holdings, Singapore, Singapore.
- 6NHG Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore. [email protected].
- 7Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore. [email protected].
- 8NHG Khatib Polyclinic, 690 Yishun Ring Rd, Singapore, 769567, Singapore. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Social prescribing (SP) has emerged internationally as a structured approach to link individuals with non-medical community resources to improve health and wellbeing. In Singapore, SP through referrals to Active Ageing Centres (AACs) is in the early stages of implementation within public primary care. Therefore, it is important to understand the perspectives of patients who are referred to such settings from primary care providers.Objective
To explore older patients' perspectives on social prescribing and factors influencing uptake and sustained engagement following referral to AACs from public primary care in Singapore.Methods
We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with adults aged ≥ 60 years who had accepted, declined, or dropped out of SP referrals from a public primary care clinic. Purposive maximum-variation sampling sought to capture diversity in engagement status and ethnicity. We analysed the interviews using thematic analysis and performed interpretive mapping using the COM-B model.Results
Of the sixteen participants approached, twelve participated: four were currently engaged in AAC activities, four had declined referral, and four had discontinued participation after initial attendance. Four interrelated themes described a familiar pathway of engagement: (1) referral legitimises participation; (2) access shapes entry; (3) social fit shapes belonging; and (4) perceived value turns attendance into habit.Conclusions
Uptake and sustained engagement with SP via AAC referral appeared to be shaped less by individual capability than by physical opportunity, social opportunity and motivation. Primary care providers are well placed to facilitate engagement by leveraging trusted patient relationships, while centre managers and policymakers should address structural barriers such as zoning restrictions, language mismatch and age-identity mismatch. These findings offer actionable insights to optimise the reach and sustainability of social prescribing within Singapore's primary care landscape.
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BibTeX
@article{goh2026older,
title = {{Older adults' engagement with social prescribing to active ageing centres in Singapore: a qualitative study from public primary care.}},
author = {Jun Heng Goh and Shu Yun Tan and Hou De Mark Li and Kai Ping Sze},
journal = {BMC geriatrics},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12877-026-08067-5},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928128},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Older adults' engagement with social prescribing to active ageing centres in Singapore: a qualitative study from public primary care.
AU - Jun Heng Goh
AU - Shu Yun Tan
AU - Hou De Mark Li
AU - Kai Ping Sze
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - BMC geriatrics
DO - 10.1186/s12877-026-08067-5
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928128
AB - Background Social prescribing (SP) has emerged internationally as a structured approach to link individuals with non-medical community resources to improve health and wellbeing. In Singapore, SP through referrals to Active Ageing Centres (AACs) is in the early stages of implementation within public primary care. Therefore, it is important to understand the perspectives of patients who are referred to such settings from primary care providers.Objective To explore older patients' perspectives on social prescribing and factors influencing uptake and sustained engagement following referral to AACs from public primary care in Singapore.Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with adults aged ≥ 60 years who had accepted, declined, or dropped out of SP referrals from a public primary care clinic. Purposive maximum-variation sampling sought to capture diversity in engagement status and ethnicity. We analysed the interviews using thematic analysis and performed interpretive mapping using the COM-B model.Results Of the sixteen participants approached, twelve participated: four were currently engaged in AAC activities, four had declined referral, and four had discontinued participation after initial attendance. Four interrelated themes described a familiar pathway of engagement: (1) referral legitimises participation; (2) access shapes entry; (3) social fit shapes belonging; and (4) perceived value turns attendance into habit.Conclusions Uptake and sustained engagement with SP via AAC referral appeared to be shaped less by individual capability than by physical opportunity, social opportunity and motivation. Primary care providers are well placed to facilitate engagement by leveraging trusted patient relationships, while centre managers and policymakers should address structural barriers such as zoning restrictions, language mismatch and age-identity mismatch. These findings offer actionable insights to optimise the reach and sustainability of social prescribing within Singapore's primary care landscape.
SN - 1471-2318
ER -