INFLUENCES ON THE IMPACT OF PERCEPTIONS OF AGING ON HEALTH OUTCOMES

Abstract

Previous research has shown that perceptions of aging (POA) relate to various health outcomes, with more positive POA typically associated with more positive outcomes. However, there is a lack of research on the impacts of POA on a single-item self-rated health (SRH) measure, and on objective physical functioning. Thus, the current study examined the predictive impact of POA on these outcomes while controlling for relevant demographic and health variables. Data from participants aged 60 and older were utilized from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N=1,266). Path analyses were conducted to examine the role of baseline POA on participants’ SRH at Waves 3 and 6. Path analyses also were conducted to examine the impact of baseline POA on objective physical functioning at Wave 6. Results indicate that baseline POA significantly predicted SRH at Wave 3 while controlling for demographic variables. Baseline POA also predicted Wave 6 SRH while controlling for demographic variables, but this relationship became non-significant when Wave 3 SRH and Wave 6 physical functioning were entered as covariates. Similar results were found for the relationship between baseline POA and Wave 6 physical functioning. These findings indicate that the role of perceptions of aging on health outcomes differs depending on the type of health outcome, time of health measurement, and presence of other health-related variables in the model. Further research is needed to examine the ways in which POA influence health outcomes at different time points, and how this influence might change over time among older adults.