Non-Health-Related Factors Associated with Healthy Ageing: a Population-Based Modelling Study of Healthy Ageing in the Western Pacific Region

Although the increased longevity in the Western Pacific Region (WPRO) is an important milestone, there remains a significant disparity between life expectancy and health-adjusted life expectancy in the region. While the existing literature has mainly emphasised health-related contributors to healthy ageing in the region, this study investigates the non-health factors that are associated with healthy ageing in the WPRO. This population-based modelling study covered 27 WPRO countries using the WHO, UN, and the World Bank data. The sample had a mean age of 69.3 and a standard deviation of 1.26. Using country-level national averages, the analysis procedure involved one-way analysis of variance to evaluate the association of factors on different data year groups of life expectancy at age 65 and healthy adjusted life expectancy at age 60, and the development of a model for those factors on healthy ageing. Data analysis and visualisation were conducted using SPSS (version 29) and Microsoft Excel (version 2021). Factors positively associated with healthy ageing in the WPRO are government expenditure on recreation, culture, and religion, and policies related to healthy ageing, Frontier Technology Readiness Index, Human Development Index, one-person households, expected/mean years of schooling, personal remittances, GDP, and proportion of retired individuals receiving pensions. Findings from this non-causal but hypothesis-generating study highlight the pivotal role of non-health-related correlates of healthy ageing within the Western Pacific Region. The findings advocate for a holistic, cross-sectoral approach to promoting healthy ageing, whereby policies seamlessly integrate domains of health, education, economic security, and environmental sustainability to create supportive environments for older people.