title: Trajectories of positive aging: observations from the women's health initiative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to describe the longitudinal trajectories and bidirectional relationships of the physical-social and emotional functioning (EF) dimensions of positive aging and to identify their baseline characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women age 65 and older who enrolled in one or more Women's Health Initiative clinical trials (WHI CTs) and who had positive aging indicators measured at baseline and years 1, 3, 6, and 9 were included in these analyses (N = 2281). Analytic strategies included latent class growth modeling to identify longitudinal trajectories and multinomial logistic regression to examine the effects of baseline predictors on these trajectories.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A five-trajectory model was chosen to best represent the data. For Physical-Social Functioning (PSF), trajectory groups included Low Maintainer (8.3%), Mid-Low Improver (10.4%), Medium Decliner (10.7%), Mid-High Maintainer (31.2%), and High Maintainer (39.4%); for EF, trajectories included Low Maintainer (3%), Mid-Low Improver (9%), Medium Decliner (7.7%), Mid-High Maintainer (22.8%), and High Maintainer (57.5%). Cross-classification of the groups of trajectories demonstrated that the impact of a high and stable EF on PSF might be greater than the reverse. Low depression symptoms, low pain, and high social support were the most consistent predictors of high EF trajectories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aging women are heterogeneous in terms of positive aging indicators for up to 9 years of follow-up. Interventions aimed at promoting sustainable EF might have diffused effects on other domains of healthy aging.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Science and Social Welfare,University of Haifa,Haifa,Israel.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Zaslavsky
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing,University of Washington,Seattle,Washington,USA.
authors.forename: Barbara B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Cochrane
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing,University of Washington,Seattle,Washington,USA.
authors.forename: Nancy Fugate
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,Seattle,Washington,USA.
authors.forename: Andrea Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: LaCroix
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,Seattle,Washington,USA.
authors.forename: Jingmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology,University of Washington,Seattle,Washington,USA.
authors.forename: Jerald R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Herting
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine,Medical College of Wisconsin,Milwaukee,Wisconsin,USA.
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Goveas
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine,University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center,Memphis,Tennessee,USA.
authors.forename: Karen C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology,Graduate School of Public Health,University of Pittsburgh,Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,USA.
authors.forename: Lewis H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kuller
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology,George Washington University,Washington,District of Columbia,USA.
authors.forename: Lisa W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,School of Public Health,Drexel University,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania,USA.
authors.forename: Yvonne L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.affiliation: Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology,University of Iowa,Iowa City,Iowa,USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Stanford Prevention Research Center,School of Medicine,Stanford University,Palo Alto,California,USA.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stefanick
authors.affiliation: Public Health Sciences,Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,Seattle,Washington,USA.
authors.forename: Lesley F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Tinker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D066107:Social Skills; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic