Development and Validation of a Healthy Aging Scale: A Preliminary Study in Beijing

This study aims to develop and test a Healthy Aging Scale (HAS) for Chinese elders. Using purposive sampling, 367 older adults in Beijing participated in the questionnaire survey. Four exploratory factor analyses were performed to identify the underlying factor structure of the HAS. The reliability tests and hierarchical regression analyses were employed to check the internal consistency reliability and the criterion-related validity of the HAS. Based on the results of data analysis, the 51 original items of the HAS were reduced to 46 and a five-factor solution was generated for the HAS, including physical functioning, cognitive functioning, an ability to perform activities of daily living, psychological well-being, and a sense of social engagement. The HAS demonstrated both high reliability and high criterion-related validity. The HAS can be applied to the provision of social work services related to the promotion of healthy aging among older adults.