title: Factors Associated with Healthy Aging among Older Persons in Northeastern Thailand.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe factors associated with perceived health and healthy aging among older people in northeastern Thailand. Thailand's aging population is growing and facing an increasing old-age dependency ratio. Northeastern Thailand, known as Isan, is a region in which the number of older residents is projected to grow rapidly. Older people in this region are likely to confront great threats to their health and well-being. These issues require appropriate attention and actions to promote healthy aging. However, healthy aging in this region has not been studied. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 453 older people, aged 60 years or older. Participants completed the Healthy Aging Instrument (HAI) and provided relevant demographic characteristics. Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests and multiple regression models were used to analyze the data. Through comparative analyses, significant differences in HAI scores were observed for the following factors: marital status, residential area, disability, income level, and perceived meaningfulness in life. In the multiple regression models, residential area, disability, and marital status explained 24.30 % of the variance in HAI scores. Health promotion strategies and future targeted intervention programs should consider the importance of these factors.
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Box 325, Drottninggatan 16A, 63105, Eskilstuna, Sweden. pornpun.manasatchakun@mdh.se.|Boromarajonani College of Nursing Udon Thani, Udon Thani, Thailand. pornpun.manasatchakun@mdh.se.
authors.forename: Pornpun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Manasatchakun
authors.affiliation: Boromarajonani College of Nursing Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
authors.forename: Pleumjit
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chotiga
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Box 325, Drottninggatan 16A, 63105, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hochwälder
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Box 325, Drottninggatan 16A, 63105, Eskilstuna, Sweden.|School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden.|VID Specialized University, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Roxberg
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Box 325, Drottninggatan 16A, 63105, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandborgh
authors.affiliation: School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Box 325, Drottninggatan 16A, 63105, Eskilstuna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asp
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012067:Religion; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D013785:Thailand
keywords: Cross-sectional study; Healthy aging; Northeastern Thailand; Older persons