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Successful aging among older adults with and without disability
Madina Khamzina1, Shannon T Mejia1, Wendy A Rogers1
1Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, United States of America.
Experimental Gerontology
|November 13, 2025
Summary
Successful aging can include individuals with disabilities. Physical activity and social engagement are key modifiable factors that promote successful aging, especially for those with disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Disability is prevalent in older adults, but traditional views of successful aging often exclude it.
- Biomedical models of aging do not fully integrate the experience of disability.
- A new framework is needed to understand successful aging within the context of disability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate disability into the concept of successful aging.
- To examine the relationship between disability and indicators of successful aging.
- To identify modifiable factors that promote successful aging in older adults with disabilities.
Main Methods:
- Repeated cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (2011 and 2020).
- Self-reported disability (mobility, hearing, vision) and successful aging indicators (subjective well-being, self-rated health).
- Exploration of physical activity and social engagement as protective factors, with moderation analyses for individuals with disabilities.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of successful aging among those with disability was 40% (2011) and 38% (2020).
- Each form of disability was negatively associated with successful aging indicators.
- Physical activity and social engagement positively influenced successful aging, with social engagement being particularly crucial for those with mobility, hearing, or multiple disabilities in 2011.
Conclusions:
- The concept of successful aging should encompass individuals with disabilities.
- Physical activity and social engagement are vital modifiable factors for enhancing successful aging.
- Interventions focusing on these factors can improve successful aging outcomes for older adults with disabilities.
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