Age-Friendliness and Life Satisfaction of Young-Old and Old-Old in Hong Kong

Abstract EN

Age-friendliness, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to enable and support individuals in different aspects of life for fostering life satisfaction and personal well-being as they age.

We identified specific aspect(s) of age-friendliness associated with life satisfaction and examined similarities and differences in age-friendliness and life satisfaction in young-old and old-old adults.

Six hundred and eighty-two ageing adults were asked to complete a survey questionnaire consisting of the Age-friendly City Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and sociodemographic variables.

Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the effects of various domains of age-friendliness on life satisfaction among the young-old adults (aged 65 to 74, n=351) and the old-old adults (aged 75 to 97, n=331).

Common domains associated with life satisfaction in both young-old and old-old groups were transportation and social participation.

Community and health services were associated with life satisfaction for the young-old group only.

On the other hand, civic participation and employment was significantly associated with the old-old group only.

Social participation is important for the young-old and the old-old.

Ageing older adults can be a resource to the society.

Implications for promoting and implementing age-friendliness were discussed in the context of successful and productive ageing and the need for a more refined taxonomy of social activities.