Community-Based Approaches to Healthy Aging: Lessons from Japanese Blue Zones
The paper examines community-based approaches to healthy aging via a comparative case study of two Japanese communities: Ogimi Village in Okinawa, a traditional Blue Zone, and Asao Ward in Kawasaki City, an emerging urban model. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks including the Social Capi...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Academic Research and Publishing UG (i. G.)
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Health Economics and Management Review |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://armgpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/HEM_2_2025_7.pdf |
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| Summary: | The paper examines community-based approaches to healthy aging via a comparative case study of two Japanese communities: Ogimi Village in Okinawa, a traditional Blue Zone, and Asao Ward in Kawasaki City, an emerging urban model. Drawing on established theoretical frameworks including the Social Capital Theory, the Socio-Ecological Model, and the Self-Determination Theory, the Integrated Community Healthy Aging Model is developed. It provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how communities create environments that support healthy aging across diverse contexts. The study employed qualitative fieldwork methods including semi-structured interviews with 60 residents aged 65 and above, equally divided between the two study sites. Participants were stratified across three age groups: 65-74 years, 75-84 years, and 85 years and above. Interview protocols explored daily routines, social relationships, community participation, health practices, and perceptions of aging. All interviews were conducted in Japanese, recorded with permission, and transcribed for analysis. Field observations totaling 40 hours per site allowed direct observation of community activities, environmental features, and social interactions. Document analysis of municipal records, program evaluations, and demographic data provided institutional perspectives on healthy aging initiatives. Via systematic qualitative analysis, four key dimensions contributing to healthy aging were identified: social connectivity, cultural practices, environmental support, purpose/meaning. The social connectivity dimension encompasses bonding capital via close relationships, bridging capital through diverse connections, and linking capital through institutional resources. The cultural practices dimension recognizes how shared meanings and traditions guide social interaction and create community cohesion. The environmental support dimension addresses how physical spaces shape opportunities for healthy behaviors and social engagement. The purpose and meaning dimension acknowledges importance of continued growth and contribution throughout aging. The findings reveal that while traditional Blue Zones benefit from long-established social structures such as the moai mutual support groups in Ogimi, urban communities cultivate similar outcomes via innovative responses to environmental challenges. The Asao Ward case demonstrates how topographical barriers were transformed into opportunities for community building via the Sakamichi Support Network, which facilitates mutual assistance among residents navigating steep hillsides. This innovation suggests environmental challenges need not be barriers to healthy aging and may actually catalyze community solidarity when addressed creatively. The research contributes to aging theory by integrating Eastern concepts such as ikigai and yuimaru with Western theoretical frameworks, demonstrating how individual purpose and collective responsibility intersect to support well-being in later life. The model emphasizes dynamic interactions among four dimensions, recognizing community-based healthy aging emerges from mutually reinforcing processes. This integrated approach offers transferable principles for global healthy aging initiatives, suggesting successful aging is fundamentally a collective achievement emerging from daily practices, relationships, and environments that communities create together. The findings challenge assumptions that ideal aging environments should eliminate all challenges, instead demonstrating how shared adversity can strengthen community bonds and promote active engagement when appropriate supports are in place. |
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| ISSN: | 2786-4626 2786-4634 |