Successful Aging, a New Challenge for Developing Countries: The Coyoacán Cohort

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Biomedical Sciences

Background:

• Defining successful aging (SA) is crucial for understanding healthy longevity in diverse populations.
• Few studies have examined the specific correlates of SA within Mexican community-dwelling elderly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify socio-demographic and health factors associated with a biomedical phenotype of successful aging (SA) among Mexican community-dwelling older adults.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 935 Mexican adults aged 70+ from the Mexican Study of Nutritional and Psychosocial Markers of Frailty.
• Successful aging (SA) was defined using the Rowe and Kahn phenotype.
• Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to determine correlates of SA.

Main Results:

• The SA phenotype was present in 10% of the study participants.
• Independent factors inversely associated with SA included older age, illiteracy, polypharmacy, and physical pain.
• Good self-perceived health status was the only factor positively associated with SA.

Conclusions:

• While age is immutable, modifiable factors such as pain and polypharmacy negatively impact SA in this population.
• Interventions aimed at improving these modifiable factors, alongside enhancing positive correlates like self-perceived health, could promote successful aging and well-being.