Changing healthcare issues and context for elderly women in Asia: implications for a research agenda for nursing.

In this descriptive review, the current healthcare issues and context for elderly women in Asia are discussed and a nursing research agenda to promote better health security is proposed. Chesney and Ozer's multilevel circular framework of key content areas of women's health was applied to organize and critique the literature. The results indicate that elderly Asian women display morbidity and mortality differentials and are influenced by gender and social factors, as well as health policy issues. The research agenda for nursing that is proposed in this article includes activating health promotion research, employing family and community-based participatory approaches, supporting gender-sensitive social and health policies, and promoting comprehensive and culturally competent international research on health transitions for elderly women.