Life style behavioral factors and integrative successful aging among puerto ricans living in the Mainland United States

[Background]: Few studies have assessed multidimensional models for predicting successful aging that incorporate both physical and cognitive-psychosocial elements among minority populations. This study aimed to establish a comprehensive lifestyle behavioral factors (cLBF) score and an integrative successful aging (ISA) score and explore their associations among older Puerto Rican adults. [Methods]: Data were assessed from 889 adults (45–75 years) participating in the longitudinal (baseline and 2-year follow-up) Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Higher cLBF score (range 0–10) indicates healthier behaviors (nonsmoking, lack of sedentarism, physical activity, high diet quality, and adequate sleep). The physical domain score of ISA included 8 components (functional impairment, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, arthritis, osteoporosis) and ranged 0–11. The cognitive-psychosocial domain of ISA included 5 components (cognitive impairment, depressive symptoms, social support, perceived stress, and self-rated health) and ranged 0–10. The sum of both domains comprised the ISA score, ranging 0–21. Higher scores of ISA and its domains indicate more successful aging. [Results]: At 2 years, the mean ± SD of cLBF score was 4.9 ± 1.8, and ISA was 10.1 ± 3.3. In multivariable-adjusted models, cLBF score was significantly and positively associated with 2-year change in overall ISA (β [95% CI]: 0.15 [0.07, 0.24] points), in physical domain (0.09 [0.04, 0.13] points), and in cognitive-psychosocial domain (0.08 [0.02, 0.14] points). [Conclusions]: Maintaining healthier lifestyle behaviors may contribute to successful aging through both physical and cognitive-psychosocial domains. The results support using a multidimensional definition of successful aging in Puerto Ricans and evaluating it in other populations.This study is supported by the National Institutes of Health (K01-HL120951 to J.M.; and P50-HL105185, P01-AG023394, R01-AG055948 to K.L.T.); and a McLennan Dean’s Challenge Grant Program Award (to J.M.)