JAMDA
Volume 10, Issue 5 , Pages 314-322, June 2009

Validation of a Novel Successful Aging Construct

  • Yuchi Young, DrPH

      Affiliations

    • State University of New York at Albany School of Public Health, Albany, NY
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Yuchi Young, DrPH, Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, School of Public Health, State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany, 1 University Place, Room 171, Rensselaer, NY 12144.
    • ,
  • Ming-Yu Fan, PhD

      Affiliations

    • University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
    • ,
  • John M. Parrish, PhD

      Affiliations

    • The Erickson Foundation, Baltimore, MD
    • ,
  • Kevin D. Frick, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD

Purpose

Assess the validity of our previously published multidimensional concept of Successful Aging that integrates physiological, psychological, and sociological domains of health.

Design

Three distinctly different populations were used to assess the discriminant and predictive validity.

Methods

Data included 1438 women age 65 and older who participated in the Women's Health and Aging Studies I and II (WHAS-I and WHAS-II) and 302 participants in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) study. Outcome measures included ADL and IADL function, self-reported health status, and number of hospitalizations.

Results

Within the CCRC, the Successful Aging construct discriminated participants with regard to ADL and IADL function and self-reported health status. In both WHAS-I and WHAS- II samples, the construct predicted functional ADL and IADL change over time, and in WHAS-I, it predicted hospitalizations.

Implications

The Successful Aging construct appears valid and warrants further research and refinement among the general population.

Keywords: Successful, aging, discriminant, predictive, validity

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 This work was supported by a seed grant from the State University of New York at Albany (FRAP-900227) and the Erickson Foundation grant.

PII: S1525-8610(09)00005-X

doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2009.01.003

JAMDA
Volume 10, Issue 5 , Pages 314-322, June 2009

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