Trajectories of Physical Function and Behavioral, Psychological, and Social Well-Being in a Cohort of Swedish Older Adults

• Published in: Innovation in aging Vol. 7; no. 5; p. igad040
• Main Authors: Saadeh, Marguerita, Xia, Xin, Verspoor, Eline, Welmer, Anna-Karin, Dekhtyar, Serhiy, Vetrano, Davide L, Fratiglioni, Laura, Melis, René J F, Calderón-Larrañaga, Amaia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 2023
• Subjects: Aged; Behavioral assessment; Demographic aspects; Health aspects; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Original; Physical fitness; Physical fitness for the aged; Psychological aspects; Social aspects; Sweden; Older adults; Successful aging; Longitudinal studies
• ISSN: 2399-5300; 2399-5300
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igad040

Abstract
Background and Objectives
Successful aging has been described as a multifactorial and dynamic process. The aims of the study were to detect aging trajectories of physical function and behavioral, psychological, and social well-being; and to explore the correlations between functional versus well-being trajectories by age group.
Research Design and Methods
Data were gathered from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (N = 1,375). Subjects’ physical function was assessed through walking speed and chair-stand tests, behavioral well-being through participation in mental and physical activities, psychological well-being through life satisfaction and positive affect, and social well-being through social connections and support. All exposures were standardized (z-scores). Linear mixed models were used to estimate trajectories of physical function and well-being over a 12-year follow-up.
Results
The steepest declines were seen for physical function (relative change [RC] in z-scores across ages; RC = 3.01), followed by behavioral well-being (RC = 2.15), psychological well-being (RC = 2.01), and social well-being (RC = 0.76). Correlations between physical function and the different well-being domains were weak, especially for slopes. Stronger intercept correlations were observed among the oldest—compared to the youngest-old, especially with behavioral (r = 0.39 vs r = 0.24) and psychological (r = 0.33 vs r = 0.22) well-being.
Discussion and Implications
Physical function declines the fastest throughout aging. The different well-being domains decline at a slower rate, which may be a possible sign of compensation against age-related functional decline, especially among the youngest-old, for whom discordances between physical function and the different well-being domains were more common.