Active ageing behaviors among urban older adults in disaster-prone communities using confirmatory factor analysis of health behavior constructs

Key findings from this study

This research indicates that:

• Active ageing in disaster-prone urban settings comprises four behavioral domains: dietary behavior, stress management, self-care, and substance avoidance, with stress management and substance avoidance being most salient.
• Male sex negatively predicts active ageing behaviors, while higher education, cohabitation, and chronic disease presence positively predict engagement.
• The factorial structure of active ageing differs from conventional frameworks, suggesting context-specific relevance of behavioral domains in hazard-vulnerable populations.

Overview

This cross-sectional study examined the factorial structure of active ageing behaviors among 500 older adults residing in disaster-prone districts of Bangkok, Thailand. The research applied confirmatory factor analysis to validate behavioral domains derived from the WHO Active Ageing Framework within a hazard-vulnerable urban context.

Methods and approach

A multistage sampling design selected disaster-prone districts purposively, followed by random sampling of older adults. Structured interviewer-administered questionnaires assessed six behavioral domains. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Generalized Structural Equation Modeling used maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors to evaluate model fit and identify sociodemographic predictors.

Results

Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a four-factor model comprising dietary behavior, stress management, self-care, and substance avoidance. Factor loadings ranged from 0.711 to 1.095 with excellent fit indices (CFI = 0.991, TLI = 0.972, RMSEA = 0.057, SRMR = 0.020). The hypothesized six-factor model including exercise and oral care demonstrated poor fit.

Generalized Structural Equation Modeling identified significant sociodemographic associations with active ageing behaviors. Male sex showed negative association (β = -0.23, p < 0.001), while higher education, cohabitation, and chronic disease presence predicted higher active ageing engagement. Substance avoidance and stress management emerged as the most salient behavioral domains within this population.

Implications

The validated four-domain model demonstrates that active ageing operates as both individual behavioral practice and socially embedded phenomenon. The prominence of stress management and substance avoidance suggests that psychological resilience and risk mitigation address specific vulnerabilities in disaster-prone environments. Sociodemographic disparities, particularly lower engagement among males, indicate need for sex-differentiated intervention strategies.

Policies targeting older adults in hazard-vulnerable urban areas must integrate behavioral resilience strengthening with environmental and social barrier mitigation. The integration of chronic disease status as a predictor suggests interventions should simultaneously address disease management and ageing-specific behaviors. Future implementation should account for housing arrangements and educational access as modifiable social factors influencing active ageing adoption.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.