Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults
Objective: The decade 2021–2030 has been declared the Decade of Healthy Aging by the United Nations General Assembly, underlining that health is central to the experience of older age and the opportunities that aging brings. Self-rated health (SRH) appears consistent with the state of objective heal...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier
2022-08-01
|
Series: | Acta Psychologica |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691822001664 |
_version_ | 1818474791943798784 |
---|---|
author | Magdalena Zadworna |
author_facet | Magdalena Zadworna |
author_sort | Magdalena Zadworna |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Objective: The decade 2021–2030 has been declared the Decade of Healthy Aging by the United Nations General Assembly, underlining that health is central to the experience of older age and the opportunities that aging brings. Self-rated health (SRH) appears consistent with the state of objective health, and therefore can serve as a simple core indicator of healthy aging. SRH can be affected by psychological and lifestyle factors, and by the developmental and sociodemographic context, which can directly and indirectly influence subjective health status. The aim of the present study was to establish the structure of the relationships between SRH, health-related behavior, subjective wellbeing, developmental tasks attainment and sociodemographic factors in the late-life period. Methods: The study group consisted of 340 Polish retired seniors, aged 61 to 94 (M = 70.75, SD = 6.48): 88 men (25.9 %) and 252 women (74.1 %). The respondents completed the following measures: 10-point numerical scale for SRH, Health-Related Questionnaire for Seniors, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Developmental Tasks Questionnaire for Seniors and a sociodemographic survey. Results: The group demonstrated a medium level of SRH and other variables. SHR was positively correlated with health-related behavior, wellbeing, developmental tasks attainment and perceived economic status, and negatively with age. Structural equation model revealed that health-related behavior, wellbeing, age and economic status have a direct influence on SRH. Developmental tasks attainment was found to predict health behavior, although no direct relationship with SRH was found. Conclusions: A broader understanding of healthy aging is achieved by considering the context of its factors. Psychological interventions should promote a healthy lifestyle and adapt it to the late life period to promote health among seniors. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:41:56Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-8744afa64488465db879c43db9db0dae |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 0001-6918 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:41:56Z |
publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | Acta Psychologica |
spelling | doaj.art-8744afa64488465db879c43db9db0dae2022-12-22T02:11:38ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182022-08-01228103651Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adultsMagdalena Zadworna0Smugowa Str. 10/12, 91-433 Lodz, Poland.; Department of Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences, University of Lodz, PolandObjective: The decade 2021–2030 has been declared the Decade of Healthy Aging by the United Nations General Assembly, underlining that health is central to the experience of older age and the opportunities that aging brings. Self-rated health (SRH) appears consistent with the state of objective health, and therefore can serve as a simple core indicator of healthy aging. SRH can be affected by psychological and lifestyle factors, and by the developmental and sociodemographic context, which can directly and indirectly influence subjective health status. The aim of the present study was to establish the structure of the relationships between SRH, health-related behavior, subjective wellbeing, developmental tasks attainment and sociodemographic factors in the late-life period. Methods: The study group consisted of 340 Polish retired seniors, aged 61 to 94 (M = 70.75, SD = 6.48): 88 men (25.9 %) and 252 women (74.1 %). The respondents completed the following measures: 10-point numerical scale for SRH, Health-Related Questionnaire for Seniors, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Developmental Tasks Questionnaire for Seniors and a sociodemographic survey. Results: The group demonstrated a medium level of SRH and other variables. SHR was positively correlated with health-related behavior, wellbeing, developmental tasks attainment and perceived economic status, and negatively with age. Structural equation model revealed that health-related behavior, wellbeing, age and economic status have a direct influence on SRH. Developmental tasks attainment was found to predict health behavior, although no direct relationship with SRH was found. Conclusions: A broader understanding of healthy aging is achieved by considering the context of its factors. Psychological interventions should promote a healthy lifestyle and adapt it to the late life period to promote health among seniors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691822001664Older adultsHealthy agingSelf-rated healthHealth behaviorDevelopmental tasks |
spellingShingle | Magdalena Zadworna Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults Acta Psychologica Older adults Healthy aging Self-rated health Health behavior Developmental tasks |
title | Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults |
title_full | Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults |
title_fullStr | Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults |
title_full_unstemmed | Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults |
title_short | Pathways to healthy aging – Exploring the determinants of self-rated health in older adults |
title_sort | pathways to healthy aging exploring the determinants of self rated health in older adults |
topic | Older adults Healthy aging Self-rated health Health behavior Developmental tasks |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691822001664 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT magdalenazadworna pathwaystohealthyagingexploringthedeterminantsofselfratedhealthinolderadults |