LAUSR

Demographic aging is a major societal challenge, imposing the need to implement strategies to promote a healthy aging and meet the challenges of this phenomenon and the additional burdens expected in the health systems [1]. In Portugal, the percentage of the elderly population aged over 65 years increased from 16% in 2001 to 21.5% in 2017, with 13.4% of the 21.5% of the older population being above 85 years of age [2]. This demographic trend brings with it several challenges, which are transversal to the various sectors of society, both in the public administration and in relation to the social inclusion of the elderly, in the expectation of an active life, in their quality and the need to guarantee individual dignity, and in the sustainability of the national health system [2–7]. On the other hand, there is still the challenge at the individual dimension, insofar as the contribution of several factors in the modulation of individual biological aging trajectories, such as social interaction, nutrition, cognitive stimulation and physical activity, is recognized [3,4].