A Comprehensive Review of Factors Influencing Healthy Aging Process

This essay examines the multifaceted factors influencing healthy aging, drawing upon research to analyze the interplay of biopsychosocial, spiritual, and cultural elements. It begins by defining healthy aging as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being in older age, emphasizing the importance of functional ability. The discussion revolves around various studies, including one that identifies psychosocial factors like depression, self-esteem, and social participation as key influencers, and another that highlights the significance of physical health indicators such as body weight and lifestyle choices. Additionally, the essay considers the impact of social engagement and cognitive function on healthy aging, referencing studies that demonstrate the positive effects of social activities on health, irrespective of cognitive level. The conclusion synthesizes these findings, emphasizing the bidirectional relationship between psychological well-being and physical health in achieving healthy aging and acknowledging the ongoing debate regarding the most influential factors. The essay integrates evidence from multiple studies to provide a comprehensive understanding of healthy aging.

Running head: HEALTHY AGING
HEALTHY AGING
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s name

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Introduction
Healthy aging involves physical as well as mental and psychological wellbeing
developed by maintaining functional ability of an individual in older age (Steptoe, Deaton &
Stone, 2015). WHO defines functional ability as an important component in holding the integrity
of healthy ageing among individuals. Healthy aging includes both physical as well as
psychological, spiritual and social wellbeing of an individual. Healthy aging is a process to
optimize physical, emotional and mental wellness possibilities that allow elderly individuals to
participate actively in community without discrimination and to have an autonomous and healthy
standard of lives. Evidences have shown the prevalence of both physical wellness contributing to
healthy aging of an individual as well as the relationship of social connectedness with healthy
aging (Holt-Lunstad, 2018). Some researchers have identified psychosocial factors to influence
healthy aging, whereas, some studies have concluded that physical wellbeing contributes to
healthy aging and not social connectedness. A constant argument rose against the factors which
were most prevalent for influencing healthy aging. The paper focuses on the factors that have
been proven to impact healthy aging and the research findings were analysed and interpreted to
draw a conclusion on the experience of aging and the biopsychosocial, spiritual and cultural
factors that influences healthy aging.
Discussion
As per the case study Frederic Arum a 78 years old man, was enjoying an overall good
health over the past years. Although, after his wife died, he was determined to live his life to the
fullest and make most of the time he has left with. He was actively participating in community

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activities and fitness program and he seemed to be happy and physically fit. However, his health
was deteriorating in terms of both physical as well as psychosocial health. On observing some
symptoms like slowing down, joint pain and stiffness and losing memory, he believes them signs
of old age and hopes his condition does not get worse. When he visits the General practitioner,
he was recommended to lose weight and follow a nutritious and proper diet. He was also
recommended to socialize with people and participate in the community programs to promote his
health. There are enormous evidences proving the factors that influence healthy aging among
which, physical as well as psychosocial factors are identified by the researches influencing
healthy aging.
A study by Han et al., 2015, determines the psychosocial factors and examine their socio
demographic characteristics that influence healthy aging. 171 Korean adults who were in the age
range of 45-77 were made participated in the study following descriptive statistics through
multiple regressions that were analysed as inferential statistics. Individuals who participated in
the research were volunteers recruited from institutions located in the local community like the
community centres, church community programs and welfare centres. Two of the proctors
collected detailed data by visiting these places about the processes of the study. Written consent
was taken from the participants. The study excluded people diagnosed with psychological
disorders like clinical depression or dementia and who had history of alcoholism. However, the
participants who were diagnosed with any type of chronic illness like hypertension or diabetes
were included in the study regardless of their chronic disorders. Individuals with serious illness
who were hospitalized and needed clinical assistance of a caregiver were not included in the
study. A healthy aging scale developed by Ko consists of 20 items on a 5 point likert-scale was
used to measure different health factors including physical, socio-supportive and cognitive

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health. The normal score of the scale was between 20 and 100, where the higher score indicated
maximum level of healthy aging. The research findings identified the factors that influence
healthy ageing to be depression, perceived health status, self-achievement and self-esteem, ego
integrity, participation in different activities and loneliness. The participants had significantly
different attributes and characteristics including different age, sex, hobby, religion, education,
housing and economic status. The factors that were identified to be influencing healthy aging
were positively correlated with self-esteem, self-achievements, and perceived health status and
leisure activities and negatively related to loneliness and depression. The research findings
showed that these factors were to be 51.9%. The study identified depression to have the greatest
influence on healthy aging followed by other factors including self-achievement, self-esteem,
active participation in activities and perceived heath status.
The study was conducted to determine the psychosocial factors that influence healthy
aging for promoting and increasing the healthy living in the old aged adults through the
development of socio-cultural care to the older people. The study concludes that depression has
the greatest influence on healthy aging. The study has given an understanding of healthy aging
from a psychosocial perspective with the aim to help both the individuals and the society to plan
for healthcare of these people.
However, on the contrary, a study by Hodge et al., 2013, identifies the predictors of
successful aging. It is shown in the study that social connectedness is not related to successful
aging, it is related to the perception of aging, and also it does not help to prevent the conditions
that are linked with aging. Health, demographic, social connectedness, anthropometric and
behavioural data were collected for 41,514 men and women who were participating in the
Melbourne Collaborative Cohort study. Individuals who were born in Australia and New

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Zealand were included in the study. Additional information on health conditions, psychological
stress and physical disability were collected and analysed to describe a successful aging. A total
5512 participants were fund to be eligible with data and were aged 70 and above were included
in the study. Successful aging was found in people in the age range 70 and above with an
absence of heart attack, or any cardiac disease, diabetes, cancer, serious impairment, perceived
difficulty in physical functioning in individuals with low risk of psychological distress. The
research finding showed the factors that contribute to the wellbeing of aged adults including no
history of smoking, low waist or hip ratio a proper and healthy body mass index, no medical
condition like hypertension, arthritis, hypertension, asthma and being physically active. The
study, however, showed no evidence on the relationship between successful aging and social
involvement or connectedness. Hence, it was concluded in the study that by maintain a healthy
lifestyle, a proper and healthy body weight and a proper diet can improve healthy aging (Hodge
et al., 2013).
The study by Kim & Yoon, 2017, was conducted for examining the reciprocal causal
relationship between health and social activities in relation to the cognitive function level among
the community-dwelling adults. A longitudinal data analysis was conducted by using 4th and 5th
waves from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing adopting cross-lagged panel analysis
(CLPA). The study employed a total of 3473 community dwelling older adults were included in
the study out of which 2053 individuals were in the normal cognitive group and 912 were with
minor cognitive impairment and 508 individuals were in the moderate to severe cognitive
impairment group. The CLPA showed a high rate of social activities at time 1 influencing a
better perception of health at time 2 in all of these 3 groups. It was found that at time 1 the health

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perception was found to be the influencing a higher level of social activity that was found at time
2 in the normal cognitive function group.
The study has shown positive effects on the paricipation of adults in social activities has
positive effects on their health irrespective of the level of cognitive function in the community
dwelling individuals. The research conducted identified and recommended the need to encourage
and motivate the older adults having cognitive declination to participate in the social activities to
help improve their health and promote healthy aging (Kim & Yoon, 2017).
According to the study by Cherry et al., 2013, social support impacts health outcomes in
the aged people. The study focuses on social engagement and the relationship among social
engagement, physical development and positive health behaviours providing new evidences
addressing the gaps regarding the social engagement and positive and healthy aging in the older
adults. The authors have believed that there is a string connection between social relations and
health to promote healthy ageing. This has been a topic of interest in the scientific community
health. The existence of a significant relationship between health and social relationships have
been proved since social relations like friends, family and significant others are close and
important to an individual and they enhances or boosts one’s self esteem and mastery required
for maintaining health and wellbeing.
The study was conducted by involving 364 individuals among which 115 were younger
adults, 129 were older and 120 were the oldest. The participants were from the Louisiana
Healthy Aging Study (LHAS), which is a multidisciplinary study with determinants of longevity
which was conducted with the collaborative contribution of researchers from the Louisiana State
University (LSU), Tulane University, LSU health Sciences Centre in New Orleans and

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Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of
Alabama at Birmingham. Individuals who participated were sampled randomly from
Registration 2000 files for people belonging to the age group 20-64 years of age and from the
enrolment data of Medicare and Medicaid services for participants who are 65 years and above
and live within 40 mile radius of Baton Rouge. Individuals getting a minimum score of 25 or
above on the Mini-Mental State Exam were included. By analysing the gender and age
difference, social engagement variables were fund to be associated with positive health
behaviours. The study concluded that an increasing number of older people have showed interest
in longevity and actively participate towards promoting healthy aging. Considering the current
inclination towards possibility of survival into old age, creating a new perception and finding out
the attributes contributing to wellbeing is a time consuming and a critical process. The study by
Cherry et al., 2013 supports the association of social engagement with self-reported health and
objective health status in the total life span of individuals from 20 or above 90 years of age. The
research findings confirm and gives evidence on the importance of social engagement in the
promoting healthy aging (Cherry et al., 2013).
Conclusion
Hence, it can be concluded that both psychological wellbeing and health are related to
healthy aging. Although, different studies have identified the prevalence of psychosocial factors
to influence healthy aging, some studies have suggested that physical wellbeing is the factor that
contribute to healthy aging followed by other psychological factors. Some studies have shown
that older adults with chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and hypertension do not enjoy
healthy aging because of mood swings and depressions leading to an impaired wellbeing.

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Therefore, the relationship between healthy aging and physical health is bidirectional. Some
researchers have identified psychosocial factors to influence healthy aging, whereas, some
studies have concluded that physical wellbeing contributes to healthy aging and not social
connectedness. A constant argument rose against the factors which were most prevalent for
influencing healthy aging.

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References:
Cherry, K. E., Walker, E. J., Brown, J. S., Volaufova, J., LaMotte, L. R., Welsh, D. A., ... &
Frisard, M. I. (2013). Social engagement and health in younger, older, and oldest-old
adults in the Louisiana healthy aging study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 32(1), 51-
75.
Han, K., Lee, Y., Gu, J., Oh, H., Han, J., & Kim, K. (2015). Psychosocial factors for influencing
healthy aging in adults in Korea. Health and quality of life outcomes, 13(1), 31.
Hodge, A. M., English, D. R., Giles, G. G., & Flicker, L. (2013). Social connectedness and
predictors of successful ageing. Maturitas, 75(4), 361-366.
Holt-Lunstad, J. (2018). Why social relationships are important for physical health: A systems
approach to understanding and modifying risk and protection. Annual review of
psychology, 69, 437-458.
Kim, D. E., & Yoon, J. Y. (2017). The Reciprocal Causal Relationship between Social Activities
and Health with Reference to the Cognitive Function Level among Community-dwelling
Older Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis. Journal of Korean Academy of
Community Health Nursing, 28(1), 13-22.
Steptoe, A., Deaton, A., & Stone, A. A. (2015). Subjective wellbeing, health, and ageing. The
Lancet, 385(9968), 640-648.

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World Health Organization, World Health Organization. Ageing, & Life Course Unit. (2008).
WHO global report on falls prevention in older age. World Health Organization.