An exploratory analysis of aging expectations and health care behavior among aging adults.

This study explored the associations between general and specific expectations regarding aging (ERA) and having received a complete physical examination (PE) in the previous 2 years among community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults (M = 70.8 years). Results showed that general-ERA was related to PE after adjusting for covariates (odds ratio = 1.05, p = .04); however, an identical model including the ERA subscales discovered that neither physical- nor cognitive-ERA were related to PE and that mental-ERA was the main independent variable contributing to the association between general-ERA and PE (odds ratio = 1.06, p = .02). Overall, greater scores of general-ERA, but especially mental-ERA, were associated with an increased likelihood of having received a PE in the previous 2 years.