Associations with successful ageing in the "Healthy Old People in Edinburgh" cohort: being well, fit and healthy.
OBJECTIVE
Six hundred and three community-resident, healthy, unmedicated people aged 70 years and over had psychometric testing and blood pressure measured in 1990-1. Participants were followed up in 1994-5, 1997-8 and in this fourth wave of the project, 1999-2000, to determine key predictors of, and associations with successful ageing.


METHODS
Current status of all cohort participants was determined. Those traced and alive were invited for re-assessment. Those who agreed underwent psychometric testing, including memory and fluid intelligence tests, a number of physiological measurements, including blood pressure, grip strength and respiratory function, and questionnaires were administered enquiring about disability, self-esteem, and a range of socioeconomic and socioenvironmental items.


RESULTS
At Wave 4, 201 participants were visited and re-tested adequately. During follow-up, mortality (N = 210) was predicted by gender, occupation, premorbid intelligence and blood pressure. Disability related to age, weight, respiratory function, grip strength and current mental ability. A model of health was developed that comprised dimensions of medical well-being (absence of disease), physiological fitness and self-perceived health. The latter related strongly to disability and pre-morbid intelligence. Except for memory score at Wave 3, medical well-being related poorly to any predictor variable from Waves 1-3. Physiological fitness related to age, gender and current mental ability.


CONCLUSIONS
The concept of successful ageing is complex, but this cohort of older people related their perceived health closely to lack of disability. In this cohort, current socioeconomic and socioenvironmental factors were not strongly linked with health at this age.
Starr
John M
JM
Geriatric Medicine Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. John.Starr@ed.ac.uk
Deary
Ian J
IJ
Macintyre
Sally
S
D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012606:Scotland