Gestire la salute? Preferirei di no! Uno studio qualitativo sulla popolazione anziana

[Autom. eng. transl.] The constant increase in life perspectives calls for profound reflections on the role of the elderly person, increasingly protagonist of an active healthy aging process (WHO, 2002). Developing interventions that aim to increase citizens' engagement in health management becomes a priority. Objectives: to conduct an in-depth exploration of the experience of participation / engagement of the elderly in the promotion of his well-being, in order to highlight the characteristics / elements (contextual, relational, organizational, subjective) able to favor the engagement of the elderly ; build a scale for assessing the level of citizen engagement in the health management process. Method: 25 depth interviews conducted 73 according to the ethnoscience method to senior citizens. Through an analysis of the contents, 45 task-cards have been built concerning behaviors, thoughts and emotions connected to health management, validated in a second step of interviews. Results: the participants perceive an active and healthy aging as absence of diseases and maintenance of functional independence, as well as psycho-emotional well-being and achieving a role in society. The engagement of the citizen in the management of his health is played on 3 different levels, influenced by intra and inter personal dynamics: behaviors, thoughts, emotions, A greater knowledge and awareness of these dynamics and of the personal level of health engagement seems to promote management active health in the elderly citizen, favoring the individualization of preventive practices. Conclusions: the results highlight the need to consider old age as a productive phase in which subjects can play a leading role in managing their own well-being. Supporting the People Health Engagement process (Graffigna et al., 2013) is an indispensable resource for the design and implementation of interventions capable of recovering the centrality of the person through the personalization of care and care interventions.