Prevalence and related factors of successful aging among Chinese rural elders living in nursing homes.

Few studies focus on the prevalence and related factors of successful aging (SA) among Chinese rural elders living in nursing homes. This study aims to make an operational definition of successful aging, estimate the prevalence of SA, and identify factors related to SA among Chinese rural elders living in nursing homes. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected by face-to-face interviews in five rural public nursing homes. A total of 205 elders aged 60 years and above were asked to answer a series of questions. Descriptive analysis, independent sample t tests, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic regression were used to show the prevalence and related factors of SA. The prevalence of SA in this population is 17.6% based on a multidimensional construct composed of: few chronic diseases, good cognitive and physical functioning, good mental health, and active social engagement. The logistic regression results indicate that successful agers are more likely to be younger, married, resilient, and better off economically, whereas gender, education, and social support are not related to SA independently. This model accounts for 45.8% of the variance in SA. These results suggest some tentative recommendations for elders, relevant decision-makers or employees in nursing homes, and administrative bodies. More rigorous longitudinal design is necessary to investigate the causality of the related factors and SA.