Health promotion research involving older adults in the Nordic countries: A scoping review of doctoral theses

There is an increase in life expectancy in the Nordic countries. Research in health promotion is vital in the fields of aging and health to address present and emerging opportunities and challenges. This scoping review of doctoral theses with a health promotion focus was conducted by the 'healthy ageing' research group, which is part of the Nordic Health Promotion Research Network. The overall aim was to explore how research about older adults under the label 'health promotion' was undertaken in doctoral theses in a Nordic context, with a specific focus on the theoretical framework, and on participation, and empowerment - the guiding principles for health promotion. A scoping review following the guidelines of The Joanna Briggs Institute was carried out. Relevant databases in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden were searched for theses published between 2011 and 2021. In total 28 theses were included in the results. The results revealed that the number of theses identified with the word 'health promotion' in the title, as a keyword, or in the abstract varied considerably between the Nordic countries. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used, and data was collected mainly from healthy older adults living at home. Theoretical perspectives differed, and definitions of health promotion varied across the theses and were sometimes absent. In conclusion, doctoral theses within the field of healthy aging research could benefit from being more specific about the meaning and use of the concept of health promotion.