Trend analysis and influencing factors of healthy aging in middle-aged population in China: a longitudinal study based on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the trends of healthy aging and investigate its determinants in the middle-aged population. Study designThis was a longitudinal study. MethodsThe sample comprised 3043 participants aged 45–59 years from the China Longitudinal Study of Health and Retirement 2011–2018. We plotted the prevalence across four waves and used ordered logistic models to investigate the determinants of cumulative times of healthy aging. ResultsWe enrolled 3043 middle-aged people in our study. The prevalence of healthy aging is 28.2% at baseline but subsequently decreased to 19.72% at wave 4. Active socializing consistently ranked the lowest among the five dimensions. Participants with older age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.94–0.97), low monthly income (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.69–0.97) or lived in urban (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.70–0.94) were less likely to have per time increase in healthy aging. Participants with more than primary school degree (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.31–2.46), high life satisfaction (OR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.86–3.06), and good self-report health (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.66–2.34) were more likely to have healthy aging. ConclusionThe number of middle-aged individuals in China who achieved healthy aging is declining and eventually less than one in five, which was far from ideal. Particular attention should be paid to older, women, urban dwellers, individuals with low income, low life satisfaction or poor self-report health. It is urgent to develop public health policies to improve the health and well-being of the middle-aged population.