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Open Access 01-12-2020 | Research article

The paradox of aging and health-related quality of life in Asian Chinese: results from the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan

Authors: Han-Yun Tseng, Corinna Löckenhoff, Chun-Yi Lee, Shu-Han Yu, I-Chien Wu, Hsing-Yi Chang, Yen-Feng Chiu, Chao Agnes Hsiung

Published in: BMC Geriatrics | Issue 1/2020

Abstract

Background

Declines in health, physical, cognitive, and mental function with age suggest a lower level of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in late life; however, previous studies found that the associations were weak and varied, depending on the study designs and cohort characteristics.

Methods

The present study examined the paradox of aging in an East Asian context by regressing the age patterns of objective health indicators (physical, cognitive, and mental function), and subjective HRQoL (12-item Short Form, SF-12), on the independent and interactive effects of age and physical function in a cohort study of 5022 community-dwelling adults aged 55 and older in Taiwan.

Results

Age patterns differed across measures. The SF-12 mental health score (MCS) showed a slight positive association with age and this effect remained stable after controlling for various age-related covariates. The SF-12 physical health score (PCS), in turn, was negatively associated with age. Age differences in PCS were fully explained by age decrements in objective physical health. However, consistent with the so-called paradox of aging, the association between objective and subjective physical health weakened with age.

Conclusion

These findings add to prior evidence indicating that — in spite of objective health decrements — subjective HRQoL is maintained in later life among Asian Chinese. Also, these paradoxical patterns appear to vary for mental and physical components of HRQoL, and future research is needed to explore the underlying mechanism.

Trial registration

Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (HALST) is retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on January 24, 2016 with trial registration number NCT02677831.

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Title: The paradox of aging and health-related quality of life in Asian Chinese: results from the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan
Authors: Han-Yun Tseng
Corinna Löckenhoff
Chun-Yi Lee
Shu-Han Yu
I-Chien Wu
Hsing-Yi Chang
Yen-Feng Chiu
Chao Agnes Hsiung
Publication date: 01-12-2020
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Geriatrics / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2318
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-020-1446-y

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