Successful ageing in Singapore: prevalence and correlates from a national survey of older adults.

INTRODUCTION: The current study aimed to estimate the overall prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of successful ageing, as defined by Rowe and Kahn, among a national sample of multiethnic adults aged 60 years and older in Singapore.

METHODS: Data from older adults who participated in the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study were analysed in the present study. Successful ageing included five indicators: no major diseases; no disability; high cognitive functioning; high physical functioning; and active engagement with life.

RESULTS: The prevalence of successful ageing was 25.4% in this older population. Older adults aged 75-84 years and ≥ 85 years had 0.3 times and 0.1 times lower odds of successful ageing, respectively, than those aged 60-74 years. Compared to older adults of Chinese ethnicity, those of Malay (odds ratio [OR] 0.6) and Indian (OR 0.5) ethnicities were less likely to be associated with successful ageing. Older adults with lower education, i.e. no formal education (OR 0.2), those with some schooling but did not complete primary education (OR 0.4), and those who had completed only primary education (OR 0.5) had lower odds of ageing successfully than those with tertiary education.

CONCLUSION: Older adults in Singapore tend to have much higher active engagement with life as compared to their counterparts from other countries. Further research is needed in this population, both in terms of qualitative research to gain a better understanding of successful ageing from the older adult's perspective, as well as longitudinal studies that explore behavioural determinants of successful ageing.