Successful aging and social activity in older Japanese adults

To explore successful aging and high social activity in old age, data from a self-administered survey of 5,239 participants aged 65 years or more were analyzed. The questionnaire inquired about physical conditions and lifesty les of Japanese seniors during middle age and their present social activiti es in 4 regions of Japan in 1993. The authors first defined social activiti es and then developed a social-activity measure. Next, they examined the as sociation between present social activity and physical conditions and lifes tyles during middle age. Data analysis revealed that the most socially acti ve seniors rated themselves as healthy and physically active during middle age. Socially active seniors differed from less active seniors: They had pa rticipated in more hobbies during middle age, had higher levels of educatio n, and had had a more varied diet between the ages of 30 and 50. The data s uggest that maintaining general health habits and lifestyles from middle ag e on is important for successful aging and high social activity in old age.