Marriage is strongly associated with optimal health and well-being in men as they age

A new study that followed more than 7,000 middle-aged and older Canadians for about three years found that married men or men who married during the study period were twice as likely to age optimally compared to their never-married male peers.

Among women, those who had never married were twice as likely to age optimally compared to married respondents who became widowed or divorced during the study period. Married women did not differ significantly from never-married women in optimal aging.

“Little is known about the relationship between marital trajectories in old age and successful aging. Our goal was to see whether different marital trajectories were associated with physical health and well-being, and whether these relationships varied for men and women,” says the first author . Mabel Ho, recent PhD from the University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) and the Institute of Life Course and Aging.

The researchers defined optimal aging as freedom from serious physical, cognitive, mental or emotional conditions that hinder daily activities, as well as high levels of self-reported happiness, good physical and mental health. The sample for the current study was limited to the 40% of participants who were considered to be aging successfully at the start of the study.

“Previous studies have shown that marriage is associated with better health outcomes for both men and women, while men who have never been married tended to have the worst health outcomes,” said David Burnes, professor and Canada Research Chair at the Factor-Inwentash University of Toronto. Faculty of Social Work. “It may be that married people encourage each other to adopt or maintain positive health behaviors, such as quitting smoking or exercising regularly.”

Older adults who were not socially isolated were more likely to have optimal health in old age. Those who had regular contact with family members, friends and neighbors were more likely to age optimally compared to older people who were socially isolated.

“Being socially connected to others is important, especially later in life. Having regular contact with family members, friends and neighbors can help older adults feel connected, reduce their feelings of loneliness and improve their overall well-being,” says Eleanor Pullenayegum, a Senior Scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Professor at the University of Toronto.

The study also found that lifestyle factors such as maintaining a healthy body weight, being physically active, not having insomnia and not smoking were important for maintaining optimal health later in life.

“It’s so important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, no matter how old we are. For example, it’s never too late to quit smoking,” says senior author Esme Fuller-Thomson, director of the Institute for Life Course & Aging and professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. “In our study, those who were former smokers were much more likely to age optimally than those who continued to smoke.”

“Our study underlines the importance of understanding sex-specific differences in aging so that we can better support older men and women to continue to thrive in later life,” Ho concluded. “Our findings may inform the development of programs and services to engage and support older adults, especially those who have never been married or have experienced widowhood, separation and divorce later in life.”

This study entitled “The association between marital status trajectories and successful aging varies by gender: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)” was published online in the magazine this week International Social Work.

It uses longitudinal data from the baseline wave (2011–2015) and the first follow-up wave (2015–2018) of data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) to examine factors associated with successful aging. The CLSA included 7,641 respondents who were 60 years or older during the second wave and were in excellent health during the baseline wave of data collection.