Healthy aging and its prediction based on individual, psychological and social factors in elderly people of Amol city

Healthy ageing is beyond the presence or absence of disease, and is affected by a variety of factors. The aims of present study was to determine the rate of healthy aging in the older adults of Amol and to predict it based on individual, psychological and social factors.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 378 elderly people aged 60-74 years who refer to urban comprehensive health service centers in Amol city in 2020 were studied by simple random sampling. For data collection, demographic questionnaire, healthy ageing instrument, health self rating, ego integrity scale, Rosenberg self-esteem scale and participation in leisure activities questionnaire were used. Data were analyzed in SPSS software version 26.

The mean total score of healthy ageing was 137.3±15.7 and 74.3% of the samples were at the high level of healthy old ageing. Among the various factors, participation in leisure activities was 79.6% of the samples at the average level and the lowest participation was related to the cultural activities dimension. The results indicate that the rate of participation in leisure activities, self-esteem and gender were predictors of healthy aging, respectively (P<0.05).

Participation in leisure activities, self-esteem and gender are effective components of healthy aging. Therefore, educating the older adults and encouraging them to participate in leisure activities, especially cultural activities, as well as developing and implementing programs to increase the self-esteem of the older adults can help promote healthy ageing.