Master Evidence Library

Observational cohort; trajectory classes and IC measurement choices may not transfer directly to all populations.

Supports monitoring change in capacity over time rather than treating ageing status as static; potentially useful for prevention and early-intervention education.

Identified sex-specific trajectories of intrinsic capacity across ageing and examined their associations with functional limitation and quality of life.

Nationally representative Dutch cohort; 1,726 women and 1,520 men followed over 10 years

Qi Y, Hoekstra T, van Schoor NM, Schaap L. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2025;138:105954.

Netherlands

Observational and context-specific; the study identifies predictors but does not demonstrate which interventions reverse deterioration.

A useful reminder that capacity is dynamic and can improve as well as decline—important for avoiding fatalistic messages about ageing.

Over four years, intrinsic capacity deteriorated in 32.1%, remained stable in 38.5%, and improved in 29.4%; age, low education and widowhood were independently associated with deterioration.

Community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years in CHARLS

Zhou Y, Wang G, Li J, et al. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2024;124:105452.

China

Observational; associations do not establish that interventions targeting these domains will prevent disability; China-specific context.

Suggests that functional prevention may benefit from identifying specific capacity domains rather than relying only on an overall frailty label.

Lower intrinsic capacity was associated with greater risk of declining ADL/IADL trajectories; locomotion, vitality and psychological function were key domains associated with decline.

CHARLS participants aged ≥60 years, 2015–2020

Wang Q, et al. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2025.

China

Observational analysis; harmonisation improves comparability but cannot remove all cross-country measurement and contextual differences.

Particularly valuable to Healthy Ageing Education because it tests a healthy-ageing framework across two different national and socioeconomic contexts, including direct UK relevance and Lusophone relevance through Brazil.

Harmonised intrinsic-capacity measurement across nationally representative UK and Brazilian cohorts and examined associations with sociodemographic characteristics and health outcomes.

Community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 from ELSA (UK) and ELSI-Brazil

Population-based coordinated analysis using ELSA (n=3,392) and ELSI-Brazil (n=3,580). J Gerontol A. 2026.

United Kingdom; Brazil

Measurement-development study; operationalisation of intrinsic capacity remains heterogeneous across studies and settings.

Useful methodological foundation for measuring healthy ageing as capacity and function rather than disease count alone; relevant to how Healthy Ageing Education structures prevention content.

Developed domain-specific and composite intrinsic-capacity scores and validated their longitudinal relationship with functioning.

Adults aged 57 to >90 years in the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam; 10-year follow-up

Qi Y, Schaap LA, Schalet BD, et al. Experimental Gerontology. 2024;197:112599.

Netherlands