Well-being and Related Factors of Above 50-Year-Old Population: Based on Ardakan Cohort Study on Aging

Well-being is related to various social, psychological, and physical factors. This study investigated these factors and their relationship with the well-being of the elderly.

This cross-sectional study was conducted based on the data of Ardakan Cohort Study on Aging (ACSA) in 2020, including 5190 people aged 50 and above. The World Health Organization (WHO)-5 questionnaire was used to measure wellbeing. Using a logistic regression model and adjusting the variables, the relationship between well-being and related factors was measured.

Among the participants, 2586 people (49.8%) were women. Well-being was good in 3014 people (58.2%). According to the findings, the poor well-being of the elderly has an inverse and significant relationship with medium to high economic status (OR = 0.63, P ˂ 0.001), physical activity (OR = 0.99, P ˂ 0.001), and social support (OR = 0.90, P ˂ 0.001). The elderly with high school education (OR = 1.43, P = 0.005) and extremely bad health status (OR = 1.32, P = 0.008) had poor well-being. Furthermore, the odds of depression (OR = 1.21, P = 0.035) and anxiety (OR = 1.05, P ˂ 0.001) were higher in the elderly who had poor well-being. The mental and physical quality of life were also higher in the group with good well-being (P < 0.05).

To promote the elderly’s well-being, they should be involved in regular physical activity, which should be planned to increase their quality of life (physical and mental) and improve their economic status as well as social support.