Successful aging has become important both individually and socially, as many societies are experiencing high proportions of older adults. Because there are no standard criteria to define successful aging, the authors of a recent study created a tool - the successful aging index (SAI) -- which combines metrics and a questionnaire assessing the quality of aging.

Their study, which took place in Poland, included 2,964 individuals with a mean age of 70, two thirds of whom were women. Participants completed the SAI as well as standard  questionnaires assessing health-related quality of life. Successful aging was defined using three criteria: (1) avoiding disease and disability; (2) maintaining high cognitive and physical performance; and (3) maintaining meaningful engagement in life. including physical activity, anxiety and depression.

The researchers found that SAI was higher in women than in men, but there was no correlation between age and SAI. The highest SAI scores were observed among those with a higher education level; those living in large cities; those who were married or living with a partner; those who had children; and those without chronic diseases.

A sense of physical and mental health has a key impact on successful aging, the authors concluded. Important moderators of successful aging include individual agency (i.e., feelings of self-efficacy), sociodemographic factors, and, in particular, education level and household size.

The authors acknowledged that a significant number of people answered the questionnaires online, which  may have led to a non-representative sample.

To read the full article, published by Springer Nature, click here