Factors relating to successful aging among elderly people living in a community

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Health and Human Ecology Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 13 - 18
• Main Authors: HAGA, Hiroshi, Hideki, SHIMANUKI, Seizo, SAKIHARA, Seiji, YASUMURA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Japanese Society of Health and Human Ecology 2003
• Subjects: community elderly, Okinawa, successful aging, cross-sectional study
• ISSN: 0368-9395; 1882-868X
• DOI: 10.3861/jshhe.69.13

The purpose of the study was to clarify the proportion of elderly people who aged success fully according to sex, age, and living arrangement and the factors associated with successful aging. In Nakijin Village, Okinawa, 955 elderly people aged 65 years and over were interviewed in 2001. Seven hundred and thirty (76.4%) responded to the survey. Two hundred and thirteen did not respond to the survey because of admission to hospital or institution (99), dementia (15), long absence (10), or refused to be interviewed (58), etc. Those who were completely independent on locomotion and good in self -rated health were defined as successful aging. By our definition, 68.9% of men and 64.2% of women were judged to have successfully aged. The percentage of elderly people judged as aged successfully was the highest in the people liv ing with child and grandchild for men and in the people living alone for women. The examination of factors concerning the successful aging was carried out using the logis tic regression analysis. Low level of depression, high level of social activities, grater satisfaction with life, and no history of hospitalization in the preceding year had a significant relationship to successful aging.