Later Life Learning: What is it, and Who is it for? A Systematic Scoping Review of the ‘Learning and Health in Later Life’ Literature

Background and Objectives There is growing evidence for the health benefits of later life learning (LLL). However, there is considerable variety in how LLL has been operationalized and/or measured across studies, making it difficult to determine what the active ingredients of LLL are. There may also be underrepresented groups of participants in this research. This scoping review aimed to map existing research on LLL and health in order to develop a classification framework for reporting LLL studies, and identify the demographic characteristics of participants included in this research. Research Design and Methods We systematically searched CINAHL, MedLine, PsycINFO, ERIC, Open Access Theses and Dissertations, and OpenGrey for empirical studies on LLL’s effects on health outcomes. Results Fifty-one articles met the inclusion criteria. The extracted data were used to describe the studies according to a classification framework comprising eight core LLL dimensions: organizer, target audience, format, content, instruction method, age, duration, and frequency. Notable gaps were identified, including the underrepresentation of men and insufficient reporting on participants’ education, marital status, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Discussion and Implications The findings highlight inconsistencies in LLL’s operationalization and/or measurement, alongside gaps in sociodemographic data reporting, that make it difficult to draw generalizable conclusions about the effects of LLL on health. The classification framework we developed provides a tool to describe and synthesize findings across studies to better understand the mechanisms underlying LLL and health. Future research should also explore LLL’s effects on older male learners who have been underrepresented in past research.