Satisfied QOL Affects Health Awareness, Health-Related Behavior, and Healthy Lifestyle Habits After 6 Years

Maintaining a high quality of life is increasingly important in an aging society. This study explores the causal relationships among quality of life (QOL), lifestyle, social activity, and perceptions of aging. A nationwide survey in Japan in 2013 involved 9,508 elderly residents. The primary survey received responses from 4,343 participants, resulting in a response rate of 45.7%. Six years later, a follow-up survey was conducted, with responses from 3,345 individuals, achieving an 86.7% recovery rate. The analysis focused on 2,859 participants aged 65 to 85 years. The questionnaire assessed subjective health and life satisfaction related to QOL. Covariance analysis was used to clarify the causal structural relationships through cross-lagged and synchronous effect models, as described by Finkel. The "Quality of Life" (QOL) (a latent variable) was significantly more influenced by "Pain, Illness, and Lifestyle" than by "Aging Perception and Disease Preventability" over the previous six years. Additionally, both "QOL" and "Pain, Illness, and Lifestyle" were found to causally affect "Aging Perception and Disease Preventability" after six years. These causal relationships remained consistent across genders and age groups. Instead of focusing solely on improving awareness and perception to influence behavior, promoting desirable QOL may enhance health awareness and motivate positive actions. Interventional research is expected to clarify these effects by adopting it as a new health support model.