Achieving the age-friendly city agenda: an interventional study in Hong Kong’s Islands district

By 2036, about 31% of Hong Kong’s population will be 65 or above. This situation triggers the need for an Age-Friendly City framework (AFC) to promote healthy ageing. In this paper, we present a study on how conscious and collaborative interventions affect the public’s perception of various AFC domains and the implications for health-related well-being over time in Hong Kong’s Islands District. As part of a territory-wide project, the study used a repeated cross-sectional design to gather data among older persons in 2016 and 2018. Findings showed significant improvements in five of the AFC domains after the interventions. Although health-related well-being was lower in 2018 than in 2016, perceived improvements in AFC domains, including community support and health services, social participation, respect and social inclusion as well as the overall AFC index were positively associated with health-related well-being. Thus, even in the face of declining health, the enhanced forms of certain AFC domains might improve the health-related well-being of older persons. The findings are discussed within the broader theoretical debate on ecological ageing. Implications for community-led social care are drawn.