Active longetivity: concept definition, key determinants and contradictions.
Authors: Ivanova Alla , Vangorodskaya Svetlana 
Published: September 2024

Introduction. With the increasing share of elderly people in the population, shifting the focus of attention towards solving the problems of healthy longevity is one of the conditions for ensuring social, economic and geopolitical sustainability of modern society. However, despite the relevance of the issue, we can talk about the existence of a number of problems that reduce the effectiveness of the implementation of the active longevity policy and dictate the need for further theoretical and empirical research.

The purpose of the article is to elaborate the definition of active longevity, analyze and systematize the main determinants affecting the increase in life expectancy and quality of life, and identify the key contradictions demonstrating the vulnerable nature of the concept of active longevity as a political, economic and social construct.

Methodology. The methodology of the study is based on the concepts of active longevity, demographic, epidemiological and reverse epidemiological transitions, approaches considering active longevity specifics in male and female populations, the theory of demographic security and demographic well-being. To confirm the theoretical conclusions, a secondary analysis of the results of sociological research on this issue was used. The information base of the article was compiled by the official statistics of the United Nations and the Federal State Statistics Service.

Results. To study the phenomenon of active longevity, the scientific literature uses concepts that affect various aspects of the well-being of elderly people and best meet the needs and/or challenges of a modern “aging" society.

The whole set of factors of active longevity can be conditionally combined into three groups: macro-, meso- and micro-level factors. In the case of a society in a state of permanent transformation, socio-economic, political, cultural and historical factors, the state of ecology, the specifics of social structure and stratification, working and living conditions, and the development of social networks are decisive.

An analysis of strategic regulatory documents at the international and Russian levels, adopted as part of the implementation of the active longevity strategy has demonstrated a shift in emphasis to considering the problems of population aging not as a demographic threat, but as a global process that provides new opportunities for realizing the potential of the population of older age groups and society as a whole.

Conclusions. A conceptual understanding of the phenomenon of population aging in scientific and political discourse, including a shift in focus towards active longevity, opens up great prospects both for the elderly themselves and for the state interested in realizing the potential of older people, including for ensuring socio-economic, political and demographic security and sustainability.

The classification of determinants of active longevity proposed in this article covers the entire set of macro-, meso- and micro-level factors and can be used to adjust active longevity strategies at the federal and regional levels.

It is also important to take into account and resolve the contradictions that demonstrate the vulnerability of the concept of active longevity and require close attention from authorities, public structures and the scientific community.