The World Health Organization engages cities and communities all over the world in becoming age-friendly. There is a need for assessing the age-friendliness of cities and communities by means of a transparently constructed and validated tool which measures the construct as a whole. The aim of this study was to develop a questionnaire measuring age-friendliness, providing full transparency and reproducibility. The development and validation of the Age Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ) followed the criteria of the COnsensus-based Standards for selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). Four phases were followed: (1) development of the conceptual model, themes and items; (2) initial (qualitative) validation; (3) psychometric validation, and (4) translating the instrument using the forward-backward translation method. This rigorous process of development and validation resulted in a valid, psychometrically sound, comprehensive 23-item questionnaire. This questionnaire can be used to measure older people’s experiences regarding the eight domains of the WHO Age-Friendly Cities model, and an additional financial domain. The AFCCQ allows practitioners and researchers to capture the age-friendliness of a city or community in a numerical fashion, which helps monitor the age-friendliness and the potential impact of policies or social programmes. The AFCCQ was created in Dutch and translated into British-English. CC-BY Original article: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186867 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers "Age-Friendly Cities & Communities: State of the Art and Future Perspectives") https://www.dehaagsehogeschool.nl/onderzoek/lectoraten/details/urban-ageing#over-het-lectoraat Extra: Vragenlijst bijlage / Questionnaire attachement
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Numerous cities in the Russian Federation have joined the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Network for Age-Friendly Cities and Communities since 2011. In order to do quantitative evaluations of the age-friendliness of cities, the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ) was developed in the Netherlands. The purpose of this study was to translate and test the validity and reliability of the AFCCQ for use in the Russian Federation, and to study the views on the age-friendliness of the city of Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan from an intergenerational perspective. Data were collected in a survey. In total, 208 people from various age cohorts met the inclusion criteria to assess the psychometric validity. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the structure with nine factors. Overall, the people in Kazan experience the age-friendliness of their city as positive. The youngest and oldest generations demonstrated the most positive scores. Only for the domain of respect and social inclusion results were reversed. The Russian language version of the AFCCQ proved a valid and reliable instrument to evaluate age-friendliness of cities and communities in Russia. Data gathered through the instrument can be used as input for planning, implementing and further monitoring of age-friendly initiatives in the country.
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Hundreds of cities and communities in the world have joined the WHO’s Global Network for AgeFriendly Cities and Communities since 2010. In order to do quantitative assessments of the age friendliness of cities, the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ) was developed for the Dutch municipality of The Hague. The purpose of this study was first to translate and test the validity and reliability of the AFCCQ for use in North Macedonia and second to explore perceptions on age-friendliness of the bicultural and bilingual City of Skopje. The AFCCQ proved valid for use in North Macedonia. Overall, older adults in Skopje experience the age-friendliness of the city as neutral (in seven out of nine domains). The best score (“slightly satisfied”) was found in the domain of Housing, which was rated positive in all ten municipalities. The lowest total score (“slightly dissatisfied”) was found in the domain of Outdoor spaces and buildings, which received negative scores in eight out of ten municipalities. In five out of nine domains differences were observed between the Albanian and Macedonian communities. The Albanian sample has slightly higher scores in two domains: 1) Housing and 2) Civic Participation and Employment, while the Macedonian sample scored higher in three domains: 1) Communication and Information; 2) Outdoor Spaces and Buildings and 3) Transportation. A hierarchical cluster analysis further revealed the presence of six distinct age-friendly typologies that can be used for a better understanding of subpopulations in the city and draft policies and action programs on the city level.
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New innovative methods to determine the DNA sequences of different bacterial species are rising. In the field of microbiology, these methods are very important since it is now possible to determine all the genetic characteristics of the bacterium in one step! This enables to define e.g. the species family, drug resistance or relatedness to other bacteria in outbreak evaluations which is necessary to efficiently treat the bacteria or target potential outbreaks. For many years, PCR-based methods have been the technique of choice to determine DNA sequences (including next-generation sequencing techniques). Recently, a new technique has been introduced to the market that is based on single molecule real-time sequencing (SMRT) with the possibility to determine the DNA sequence of a bacterium. This SMRT MinION sequencing technique is housed on an USB stick and is known for its user-friendliness and huge data output. However, before such a new technique can be implemented and presented in laboratories and used for educational purposes, methods should be harmonized and evaluated to proof its applicability. Harmonisation of the methodology regarding new laboratory techniques is very important to be able to compare results generated by different laboratories. A single consistent protocol, applied in each lab, is essential to obtain the best results in interlaboratory comparisons. During this KIEM-hbo project, we – i.e. Avans UAS, Maastricht University Medical Center and the company IS-diagnostics – will determine the DNA sequence of bacterial species and mixes thereof with a harmonized protocol for an interlaboratory comparison. We will compare this technique to the IS-PRO, an existing technology. Finally a workshop will be organized for medical technicians and other SMRT sequencing users to evaluate the protocols. This will, generate an up-to-date and harmonized sequencing protocol which can be expanded to future research and diagnostics in the different areas.
Cities across the globe are facing population ageing, which poses many unsolved challenges. Regional, national and European research strategies (including EU4Health) have a strong relation with healthy and active ageing, and stimulate the exchange of best practices to create age-inclusive societies across the continent. Over 1500 cities joined the Global Network for Age Friendly Cities and Communities of the World Health Organization (WHO), which follow a 5-year cycle of planning, implementation and evaluation in order to achieve goals. The Hague (2015) has been an active member of the Network. In the Western Balkans, only Tuzla (2023) is a member. Both the WHO and THUAS seek further expansion of their reach and want to build capacity in the Western Balkans, which is achieved through existing contacts with Mother Teresa University. The Institute for Social Activities in Skopje see THUAS’s age-friendly actions as a stepping stone for a better understanding of ageing well in their ethnically diverse city. Organisations in bordering countries have indicated their interest to join efforts during the annual Towards Sustainable Development Conference. They seek an extension to other countries of the Western Balkans that have previously largely been left out of the European research agenda. Therefore, The Age-friendly Balkans Connected Network seeks to (1) form regional knowledge and action eco-systems through capacity-building, and (2) provide cities with an instrument for a baseline assessment of their age-friendliness. For this purpose, we use the existing Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire that was developed at THUAS in 2020 and which has been validated in Albanian and Macedonian. The Network trusts that new national ecosystems and tools can contribute to future age-friendly actions and European grant applications. In the words of Mother Teresa (born in Skopje): “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
