title: Developing indicators for evaluation of age-friendly communities in Canada: process and results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2006, the World Health Organization launched the Global Age-Friendly Cities Project to support active aging. Canada has a large number of age-friendly initiatives; however, little is known about the effectiveness and outcomes of age-friendly community (AFC) initiatives. In addition, stakeholders report that they lack the capacity and tools to develop and conduct evaluations of their AFC initiatives. In order to address these gaps, the Public Health Agency of Canada developed indicators to support the evaluation of AFC initiatives relevant to a wide range of Canadian communities. These indicators meet the varied needs of communities, but are not designed to evaluate collective impact or enable crosscommunity comparisons.
  
  
  METHODS
  An evidence-based, iterative consultation approach was used to develop indicators for AFCs. This involved a literature review and an environmental scan. Two rounds of key expert and stakeholder consultations were conducted to rate potential indicators according to their importance, actionability and feasibility. A final list of indicators and potential measures were developed based on results from these consultations, as well as key policy considerations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-nine indicators emerged across eight AFC domains plus four indicators related to long-term health and social outcomes. All meet the intended purpose of evaluating AFC initiatives at the community level. A user-friendly guide is available to support and share this work.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The AFC indicators can help communities evaluate age-friendly initiatives, which is the final step in completing a cycle of the Pan-Canadian AFC milestones. Communities are encouraged to use the evaluation results to improve their AFC initiatives, thereby benefiting a broad range of Canadians.
authors: Science Integration Division, Social Determinants of Health and Science Integration Directorate, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.|School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Orpana
authors: Population Health Promotion and Innovation Division, Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Chawla
authors: School of Nursing (Emeritus), Faculty of Human and Social Development, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Gallagher
authors: Population Health Promotion and Innovation Division, Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Escaravage
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D002170:Canada; D003142:Communication; D003153:Community Health Services; D003256:Community Participation; D032921:Consensus; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D012424:Rural Population; D058992:Social Participation; D014186:Transportation; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: Canada; age-friendly; aging; community; evaluation