Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Despite decades of research, there is little consensus on the operational definition of 'successful aging' or which variables significantly influence aging trajectories. Currently, the successful aging paradigm is not maximally effective in identifying risk and protective factors for optimal healthy aging or elucidating how these variables are interrelated in later life and across time. Using a longitudinal and multidimensional framework, the current research aims to create a novel method for measuring successful aging by employing a rigorous data-driven approach examining several indicators (e.g., blood pressure, depression, social support) across multiple health dimensions (e.g., biological, psychological, social) to identify trajectories and predictors of health in older to later life. The objectives are to i) identify subgroups of aging on the basis of longitudinal trajectories of change in multiple health domains, and ii) pinpoint specific risk and protective factors that contribute to the aging trajectories, and how they interact across time. Methods: Participants include 304 older adults (aged 64-92 years; 32% male) from Project MIND, a well-established 8-year longitudinal study. Each year participants were assessed on numerous cognitive, physical, biological, and psychosocial measures, as well as their demographics, chronic medical conditions, and health behaviours. Latent class growth mixture modeling will be employed to identify distinct aging trajectories across years and examine individual determinants impacting these aging trajectories. Implications: Standardizing the methods and biopsychosocial measures of successful aging will provide a deepened understanding of the risk and protective factors responsible for healthy and pathological aging. Demonstrating the importance of psychosocial and lifestyle factors, regardless of chronological age or disease, can promote a healthy society and inform policy-based preventative and intervention strategies.