Strokes to a portrait of silver-age citizens in a Russian region: Self-perceived health status and social activity

Background. The article investigates a lifestyle of the elderly population of the largest industrialized region of Russia and describes the subsystem of activities ensuring health and healthy lifestyle of silver-age citizens in this region. The research project is carried out taking into account the problems of active longevity; the methodology is based on the concepts of subjective well-being and subjective health. Objectives. To describe silver-age citizens in one of the typical industrial Russian regions (Sverdlovsk Oblast) taking into account two socially significant characteristics of their lifestyles: self-perceived health status and self-perceived character and level of social activity; to identify connections between them and other demographic and social indicators. Methods. “Social participation of older people in the Russian regions in the post-pandemic period” project supported by the Russian Science Foundation served as the empirical basis of the study. Data collection methods included a survey of the elderly people aged 60 to 98 years conducted in different municipalities of the Sverdlovsk Oblast from May to September 2023. The sample type is quota sampling structured in accordance with the general population by gender and type of settlement. The sample size is 690 cases. The results of the study showed that self-perceived health status and self-perceived level of social activity are interrelated and interdependent, can be considered as the basis of subjective well-being of an elderly person, and provide an important condition for an active and healthy lifestyle. Their connection with a complex of other demographic (sex, age, and territory) and social (education, employment, family ambiance, preferences for types of social practices and forms of activity, etc.) factors is considered, which makes it possible to describe both these basic characteristics and their social context in a more informative way. Results. The data analysis revealed statistically significant links between the self-perceived health status of elderly residents of the Sverdlovsk Oblast and their social activity in cultural, educational, developmental, sports, and recreational spheres of life. The research data show that self-perceived health status is associated with orientations to prosocial behavior. The stronger the Ural silver-age people’s orientation to helping behavior practices and helping other people, the more positive their self-perceived health status is. Social exclusion is shown to be an important factor determining not only subjective health, but also the quality of life of the elderly people in general. Conclusion. The revealed connection between self-perceived health status and different types of social activity of elderly people will help therapists to carry out more effective prevention of age-related socio-psychological changes in their patients due to complex recommendations that take into account the need for their inclusion in various practices of social interaction to maintain their physical and mental health.