Objective: To discover whether successful aging, understood as a multidimensional concept, predicts further survival in very old people.
Method: The population sample consisted of 1,370 persons aged 90 or over in the Vitality 90+ study. Four alternative models of successful aging were constructed, each of them consisting of physical, psychological, and social dimensions. Mortality was followed up after 4 and 7 years.
Results: Three out of four models significantly predicted survival at both follow-ups for the whole group. Separately, "success" in the physical, psychological, and social components was also associated with higher survival. The associations were stronger in women than in men.
Discussion: Successful aging, measured using physical, psychological, and social dimensions, predicts the length of future life in nonagenarians.
Keywords: health; longevity; nonagenarians; survival; well-being.
© The Author(s) 2014.