Abstract
This study was conducted to identify the factors associated with successful aging in older adults based on the ecological system model. Data from the 2017 National Survey of the Living Conditions of Korean Elderly were used. Participants comprised 10,074 older adults. The three principal components in the successful aging model developed by Rowe and Kahn, “absence of disease and disease-related disability,” “maintenance of high mental and physical function,” and “continued engagement with life,” were used to determine successful aging. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-squared test, t-test, and logistic regression. The study results showed that the correlation factors were age, sex, educational level, economic status, heavy drinking, subjective health status, and health screening in the individual system; living arrangement, satisfaction with spouse, and frequency of contacting family, siblings, and relatives in the family system; and the frequency of contacting neighbors and friends, number of close neighbors and friends, and accessibility of neighborhood facilities in the community system. This study is significant because it confirms that individual characteristics and the environmental systems surrounding older adults should be considered for successful aging; it is necessary to develop and apply healthcare intervention programs that consider both of these aspects.
Highlights
The older adult population is rapidly growing worldwide
This study is significant because it confirms that individual characteristics and the environmental systems surrounding older adults should be considered for successful aging; it is necessary to develop and apply healthcare intervention programs that consider both of these aspects
The factors associated with successful aging were: age, sex, educational level, economic status, heavy drinking, subjective health status, and health screening in the individual system; living arrangement, satisfaction with spouse, and frequency of contacting family, siblings, and relatives in the family system; and the frequency of contacting neighbors and friends, number of close neighbors and friends, and accessibility of neighborhood facilities in the community system
Summary
A rapid increase in the aging population leads to the perception that a change in perspective on old age is necessary. There is a need to deviate from the negative perspective of old age associated with illness, weakness, and loss of functions, and focus more on healthy aging and improving the quality of life in old age [2]. Instead of considering older adults as passive dependents who need care due to illness and loss of function, they should be perceived as active individuals who have potential to bring positive changes for spending later years of their life happy and healthy [3]. The concept of successful aging is becoming more important in adopting a positive perspective on old age [4]. After being first introduced in 1986 at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, successful aging has become a core concept in research on aging in which many researchers are engaged [7,8,9]
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