Factors contributing to subjective well‐being and supporting successful aging among rural Japanese community‐dwelling older adults: A cross‐sectional and longitudinal study

Aim We aimed to identify the factors contributing to subjective well‐being in community‐dwelling older adults in rural Japan. This study explored the relationship among physical and mental health, socioeconomic status, and activity levels with regard to the subjective well‐being of older adults. Methods In the Frail Elderly in the Sasayama‐Tamba Area study, a cohort investigation of independent older adults in a rural Japanese community, 541 of 844 participants completed a 2‐year follow‐up survey. Subjective well‐being was assessed as a binary based on three factors – “happiness,” “satisfaction with life” and “meaning in life” – using a subset of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life questionnaire. The improvement group transitioned from not having subjective well‐being during the baseline survey to having subjective well‐being during the follow‐up survey. Furthermore, we used multivariable log‐Poisson regression models to calculate the prevalence ratios of subjective well‐being. Results The cross‐sectional study showed that sleep satisfaction, health services access satisfaction and having a higher‐level functional capacity were positively associated with having “happiness” and “satisfaction with life.” Furthermore, being aged 80 years and having financial leeway were positively associated with having “meaning in life.” The longitudinal study showed that having a higher‐level functional capacity was positively associated with improving “happiness” and “satisfaction with life.” Being female was positively associated with improving “happiness” and “meaning in life,” and health services access satisfaction and alcohol drinking were positively associated with improving “satisfaction with life” and “meaning in life,” respectively. Conclusions These findings offer promising avenues for enhancing the subjective well‐being of older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 311–319 .