Table 1.
Definition and Prevalence of Rowe and Kahn Successful Aging Dimensions Assessed at Final Wave of Data Collection in 1932 and 1952 Cohort Members
| Definition of positive successful aging dimension | n (%) positive dimension among those alive and interviewed at final wave | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 cohort (N = 886) | 1932 cohort (N = 483) | ||
| Disease and disability | |||
| Absence of chronic disease | No coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer (excluding skin), diabetes, Parkinson’s, or serious mental health problemsa | 719 (81.2) | 280 (58.0) |
| No disability | Lowest (approximate) tertile of Office of Population Censuses and Surveys disability score (1952 cohort: 0; 1932 cohort: ≤0.5) | 397 (44.8) | 195 (40.3) |
| Functioning | |||
| Good physical functioning | 3+ out of 4 of height-standardized sex-specific grip strength and FEV1 above median and systolic blood pressure and pulse below median within each cohort | 294 (33.2) | 166 (34.4) |
| Good cognitive functioning | Part 1 of the Alice Heim 4 test of General Intelligence score in top tertile within each cohort (1952: 41+; 1932: 31+) | 291 (32.8) | 166 (34.4) |
| Social engagement | |||
| Good interpersonal social engagement | Most engaged tertile based on: living with spouse/ partner, direct contact with family/friends in last 4 weeks, regular attendance at education/arts, social or sports club/class (3+ positive responses for both cohorts) | 239 (27.0) | 129 (26.7) |
| Good productive social engagement | Most engaged tertile based on: paid work/training, voluntary work, childcare, support to another, member of political/environmental, community, or church/charity group (1952: 3+ positive responses; 1932: 2+ positive responses) | 174 (19.6) | 120 (24.8) |
| Number of positive successful aging dimensions | |||
| 0 | 62 (7.0) | 57 (11.8) | |
| 1 | 161 (18.2) | 118 (24.4) | |
| 2 | 256 (28.9) | 116 (24.0) | |
| 3 | 233 (26.3) | 101 (20.9) | |
| 4 | 133 (15.0) | 61 (12.6) | |
| 5 | 36 (4.1) | 21 (4.4) | |
| 6 | 5 (0.6) | 9 (1.9) | |
aRoyal College of General Practitioners Classification and Analysis of General Practice Data codes: 0400-0540 (excluding 0455), 0720, 1000, 1015–1030, 1205, 1315, 1940–1950, 2100–2115, 2420, 2490–2510.