Current and past factors affecting the quality of aging in a sample of Spanish elderly.

Abstract

Aging is a multifactorial process influenced by both biological and sociocultural factors. The objective of this study was to identify current and past factors with an impact on the quality of aging in a sample of people 65 years of age or older born in the postwar period after the Spanish civil war. Socioeconomic, health, anthropometric, and food consumption data were collected in public Leisure Centers for the elderly in Madrid. The sample consists of 587 people (64.6% women), with a mean age of 71.8 ±5.3 years. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines regarding what is considered Healthy Aging, an index called the Index of Quality of Aging was calculated from four variables: the Mini Mental State Examination score, perception of health, satisfaction with life and the number of diseases that affect daily life. Another index called the Diet Inflammation Index was created based on the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory potential of different foods. The Index of Quality of Ageing was used as a dependent variable in linear regression models for men and women. Differences by gender were observed in the factors that influence the quality of aging. Education had a positive influence on men quality of ageing while it does not on women. In these, a relationship between the quality of the current diet and the quality of aging was observed.