Landscape of Research on Older Adults' Health in the Arab Region: Is It Demography-Driven or Development-Dependent?

OBJECTIVES: To describe the quantity, methods, themes, and collaboration profiles of research on older adults' health in the Arab world, and map research productivity against demographic, economic, and development indicators.

METHODS: A scoping review of research on older adults' health drawing from 7 databases and covering the period 1994-2013.

RESULTS: Aging research output has increased 6-fold over the study period, with middle-income countries showing the sharpest rise. The majority of the reviewed publications are descriptive in nature, oriented toward examining the extent of disease or factors associated with various morbidity and mortality outcomes (88.5%). Despite the increasing regional instability, there is a dearth of studies on "seniors in emergencies." Collaboration with international coauthors (16.0%) has been more frequent than with regional coauthors (4.2%). Correlation analysis suggests that research production has been more strongly influenced by literacy rates than by population aging indicators, Gross Domestic Product, or government investment in research and development.

DISCUSSION: This study lays the basis for a "roadmap" for research on older adults' health in the Arab region. It calls for cooperation among various stakeholders to produce a targeted and well-informed research agenda that is more responsive to emerging and context-specific needs of older adults in the region.