Towards a comprehensive understanding of Successful Aging: A mixed methods analysis of biopsychosocial predictors and perceived realities in a Latin American urban context

Public health discourse positions Healthy Aging (HA) as a foundational pillar for inevitably aging populations. The conceptual framework of HA requires a comprehensive understanding. Lined up, Successful Aging (SA) defined by Rowe and Kahn (1987), describes the ideal characteristics for old age: absence of disease and disability in daily activities, high physical and cognitive functioning, and engagement with life. The present study analyzes the predictors and perceptions of SA in older adults from Guadalajara, Mexico through a mixed methodology. A cross- sectional analytical study was developed with 456 older adults through face-to-face interviews implementing a measurement instrument based on the operationalization of SA. Additionally, a descriptive phenomenological study was conducted through 20 in-depth interviews with older individuals. The statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential, performing Pearson Correlation and Linear Regression Model. The analysis of the interviews was conducted based on thematic content regarding perceptions, meanings, experiences, successful aging, aging, health/disease, social support, economy, functionality, and activity. The prevalence of SA was 12.1%. The resulting model is composed of 8 predictor variables (F = 21.23, p < .001): age, subjective health, sensory problems, learning potential, language, life satisfaction, feelings of loneliness, and subjective memory explained 28.6% of the variance (adjusted R ²  = .286). Acceptance/adaptation, tranquility, and activity emerged as components of successful aging according to the testimonies. The study of such a complex phenomenon as SA from both objective and subjective approaches allowed for the identification of new predictor proposals that could enrich the different established models for the evaluation and promotion of Healthy Aging.