Factors of Successful Aging among Pre-Retirement Public Servants in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Following the global trend,Malaysia is moving towards an aging population. With the change in age ratio, there will be more age-related diseases and challenges that need to be managed appropriately. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of successful aging (SA) among pre-retirement Malaysian public servants and the predictors.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1,064 pre-retirement public servants (50-60 years old) working in nine federal government agencies within the Klang Valley. Multistage sampling was applied with simple random sampling for selecting four out of 23 ministries and two agencies under each ministry. Purposive sampling was used for selecting the state and respondents. The respondents completed a self-administered questionnaire and their cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). SA was defined as being able to fulfil all three criteria i.e. absence of six major chronic diseases and having both good physical and psycho-cognitive functions.Results: The prevalence of SA was 37.5%. Multiple logistic regression showed that the factors with higher odds of having SA were younger age (50–54 years old) (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.73), being physically active (aOR 1.39, 95%CI 1.05 -1.84), non-obese (aOR 2.14, 95%CI 1.52-3.02) and good social support (aOR 1.78, 95%CI 1.30-2.43).Conclusion: A minority of public servants in this study have SA. Employers in various agencies should play roles in promoting SA aiming for healthy behaviours and providing healthy working environments.