SUCCESSFUL AGING IN EAST ASIA: COMPARISON OF CHINA, KOREA, AND JAPAN

Numerous studies have examined prevalence and correlates of successful aging in North America and Europe, using Rowe and Kahn's model which encompasses avoidance of disease and disability, maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities. However, evidence in East Asia still remains sparse despite rapid population aging worldwide. This study compared prevalence and correlates of successful aging in East Asia: China, Korea, and Japan, We used harmonized datasets (collected between 2010-2011) from the three countries: The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, the Korean Longitudinal Study, and the Japanese Study on Aging and Retirement. A total of 7,996 participants aged between 65 and 80 yeas were included. Indicators of successful aging criteria included no disease, no disability, high cognitive function, and active engagement. Age, gender, and education were entered to the model as covariates. Two dummy variables were created to indicate China or Korea, with Japan as the reference. A logistic regression model showed that the prevalence of successful agers did not differ among countries, and that participants aged 75 years and older (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.46-0.68), female (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.41-0.55), and with lower education (less than lower secondary versus tertiary: OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.47-0.80) were less likely to age successfully. This study emphasizes that demographic factors are closely related to successful aging across countries rather than cross-country variation in East Asia.