Abstract
In middle-aged and older adults, attitude toward aging (ATA) exerts significant influences on their current and future health. For health promotion to be successful, participants’ ATA requires health care providers’ attention. Knowing the factors associated with ATA can facilitate future studies to investigate effective interventions. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with ATA in middle-aged and older adults. This cross-sectional study analyzed data of a nationally representative sample of adults aged 58 years and older collected in a population-based longitudinal study: the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA). To identify the factors associated with ATA, we investigated demographic factors (age, gender, education, marital and cohabitation status, and financial satisfaction status) and health-related factors (number of co-morbidities, depression, physical function dependency) with bivariate analysis and multiple regression analysis. To identify the activities beneficial to ATA over and above demographic and health-related factors, various activities (exercise, volunteer service, and leisure activities) were each examined individually by multiple regression analysis. The factors detrimental to ATA were advanced age, a higher number of co-morbidities, living alone, depression, and dependence on physical function. Those beneficial to ATA were higher education, financial satisfaction, physical exercise, volunteer service, and six leisure activities.
Highlights
Attitude toward aging (ATA) refers to one’s beliefs about aging and older people in general and it is gradually built up through a process of assimilation from one’s surrounding culture and internalized self-relevant attitudes and stereotypes across one’s life span [1]
The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that all independent variables were significantly associated with ATA (Table 2)
The results of this study revealed that higher education, living with others, and financial satisfaction are protective factors to ATA, whereas advanced age, higher numbers of co-morbidities, depressive mood, and physical functioning dependency were risk factors to ATA
Summary
Attitude toward aging (ATA) refers to one’s beliefs about aging and older people in general and it is gradually built up through a process of assimilation from one’s surrounding culture and internalized self-relevant attitudes and stereotypes across one’s life span [1]. ATA is often measured by questionnaires such as Attitudes toward own Aging subscale of the Philadelphia. Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS) [2], Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire (AAQ) [3], and Expectations Regarding Aging (ERA-12) [4]. ATA, assessed by the above mentioned questionnaires, is associated with poorer health, less control over one’s lifestyle behaviors, poorer functioning performance, and lower life satisfaction [5,6,7,8].
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