Optimism and Healthy Aging

by | Oct 21, 2019 | 2019, Aging, Brain Health

Written by Chrystal Moulton. Women with high optimism were twenty-three percent more likely to experience healthy aging.

In the United States as of 2014, 46.3 million Americans are over the age of 65 and this population is projected to increase by 50% within 15 years 1. Chronic disease risk increases with age and despite increased life expectancies, disability is high among the elderly population 2.  A growing body of research suggests that optimism may play a role in healthy aging and has already been associated with lower mortality 3, reduced risk of chronic disease 4, healthy behaviors 5, and improved biological functioning 6,7. In the current study, analysis was done to assess the relationship between optimism and healthy aging overall 8 .  

Researchers conducted a prospective analysis of the Nurses’ Health Study which began in 1976. In 2004, a measure of optimism was included in the study. Therefore 2004 was set as the baseline for the study. Healthy aging was measured in 2012. Non-responding participants as well as those who died or reported major chronic diseases on or before 2004 were excluded. Total number of participants eligible for this analysis was 33,326. Optimism was measured using the Life Orientation Test-Revised on a composite scale ranging from 0-24 with higher scores indicating greater optimism. Healthy agers were categorized as those who survived to 2012, were free of major chronic diseases, had no subjective memory impairment, and no physical limitations. Healthy aging was categorized into 3 domains with scores ranging from 0-3. A score of 0 or 1 indicated ‘unhealthy aging’. A score of 2 indicated ‘usual aging’ and 3 indicated ‘healthy aging’. One domain assessed for major chronic diseases. Major chronic diseases tracked were cancer, heart attack, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, coronary artery bypass surgery, congestive heart failure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney failure, COPD, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis. The participants who reported no history of the aforementioned diseases as of 2012 were considered as healthy agers. In the 2nd domain of healthy aging, the women were asked yes/no questions to assess memory and the 3rd domain consisted of a Medical Outcomes Short Form that assessed 36 areas of physical function. Researchers noted BMI, diet, physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and physical exams as confounding variables. All participants in the analysis were women over the age of 65.

Participants were divided into quartiles based on their optimism scores. Seventy-five percent of the women were married with an average age of 68 years old. Data showed that women in the highest quartile of optimism were more educated, had a lower prevalence of depression, and were more physically active compared to women in the lowest quartile of optimism. Researchers also found a strong association between high optimism and healthy aging (p<0.001). Women in the highest quartile of optimism were 23% more likely to experience healthy aging compared to the lowest quartile of optimism (RR=1.23, p=0.05).  When comparing race versus optimism, researchers found that black women were less likely to have depression, had more education, and lived in lower socioeconomic status neighborhoods compared with white participants. Also, after adjusting for confounding factors, black women had a 42% greater likelihood of healthy aging (RR=1.42, p=0.05). White participants had an 8% likelihood of healthy aging after adjusting for confounding factors (RR=1.08, p=0.05). Researchers observed a gradual increase in mean optimism scores based on the number of domains in which participants were categorized as healthy. Average optimism scores for women with healthy aging score of 0 was 18.0. In other words, these women were found to be unhealthy in all 3 domains (chronic disease, memory, and physical activity) of aging. Average optimism scores for women with healthy aging scores of 1, 2, and 3 were 18.7, 19.4, and 20.2 respectively. Regression models showed that every standard deviation increase in optimism was significantly associated with 15% greater odds of being a healthy ager in all 3 domains (RR=1.15, p=0.05). This association remained even after adjusting for confounding factors (RR=1.07, p=0.05)

The analysis demonstrated that higher optimism is significantly related to healthy aging and overall longevity in women over 65 years old. Based on these results, researchers suggested that optimism may serve as an asset to healthy aging. Researchers note, however, that generalizability is limited since the study population was only women and suggest further studies be conducted to assess the affect of optimism across both genders.

Source: James, Peter, Eric S. Kim, Laura D. Kubzansky, Emily S. Zevon, Claudia Trudel-Fitzgerald, and Francine Grodstein. “Optimism and healthy aging in women.” American journal of preventive medicine 56, no. 1 (2019): 116-124.

© 2019 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted October 21, 2019.

Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.

References:

  1. Colby SL, Ortman JM. Projections of the size and composition of the US population: 2014 to 2060: Population estimates and projections. 2017.
  2. Salomon JA, Wang H, Freeman MK, et al. Healthy life expectancy for 187 countries, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 2012;380(9859):2144-2162.
  3. Kim ES, Hagan KA, Grodstein F, DeMeo DL, De Vivo I, Kubzansky LD. Optimism and cause-specific mortality: a prospective cohort study. American journal of epidemiology. 2017;185(1):21-29.
  4. Hernandez R, Kershaw KN, Siddique J, et al. Optimism and cardiovascular health: multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA). Health behavior and policy review. 2015;2(1):62-73.
  5. Steptoe A, Wright C, Kunz‐Ebrecht SR, Iliffe S. Dispositional optimism and health behaviour in community‐dwelling older people: Associations with healthy ageing. British journal of health psychology. 2006;11(1):71-84.
  6. Segerstrom SC, Sephton SE. Optimistic expectancies and cell-mediated immunity: The role of positive affect. Psychological science. 2010;21(3):448-455.
  7. Boehm JK, Williams DR, Rimm EB, Ryff C, Kubzansky LD. The Association between optimism and serum antioxidants in the midlife in the United States study. Psychosomatic medicine. 2013;75(1):2.
  8. James P, Kim ES, Kubzansky LD, Zevon ES, Trudel-Fitzgerald C, Grodstein F. Optimism and healthy aging in women. American journal of preventive medicine. 2019;56(1):116-124.