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...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Magdalena Zadworna
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