Successful aging and lifestyle comparison of Greeks living in Greece and abroad
Creators: name: Papadimitriou, Anastasia
Publisher: name: No Publisher Supplied
Year: 2021

description: INTRODUCTION: To date, most immigration studies compare the health status (obesity, diabetes, BMI, blood pressure, cancer, etc.) of immigrants to that of the native populations, residing in the host country. As the aging process is driven by genetic and environmental factors, perhaps an even better way to evaluate the relationship between the living environment and successful aging would be to compare populations of similar genetic background who live in different environments. Our study focused on comparing populations of the same origin that live in very different environments, i.e., Greeks living in Greece and Greeks born in Greece but living in the US and Australia, in terms of successful aging levels. Furthermore, we evaluated the relationship between the living environment and personal choices with successful aging.AIMS: Specific aim 1: Compare successful aging levels among Greeks living in Greece and Greeks born in Greece but living abroad. We hypothesized that successful aging levels would be higher among Greeks living in Greece compared to Greeks living abroad.Specific aim 2: Compare adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among Greeks living in Greece and Greeks born in Greece but living abroad and evaluate its effects on successful aging. We hypothesized that adherence to the Mediterranean Diet would be higher among Greeks living in Greece compared to Greeks living abroad.METHODOLOGY: Anthropometrical, clinical, psychological, socio-demographic, dietary and lifestyle parameters were assessed in a random sample of 252 Greeks living in Greece, i.e. GG, and 252 Greeks living in USA and Australia, i.e. GA. The Mediterranean Diet Score (MedDietScore range 0-55) was used to assess adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) while successful aging was evaluated with the validated successful aging index (SAI range 0-10) assessing health-related, social, lifestyle and clinical factors.RESULTS: GA had higher financial and educational status and scored higher in all social activity parameters (p’s&lt;0.05). GA were more likely to be physically active (p&lt;0.001), had higher adherence to the MD (p&lt;0.001) and were less likely to be smoking (p=0.008). In terms of food groups, GA were consuming significantly more cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruits compared to GG while GG consumed significantly more dairy (p&lt;0.001) and potatoes (p&lt;0.001) compared to GA. Meat (p=0.27), poultry (p=0.72), fish (p=0.68), olive oil (p=0.16) and alcohol consumption (p=0.05) did not differ significantly between the two groups (all p’s&gt;0.05). GA were aging significantly more successfully than GG (p&lt;0.001) and men were aging significantly more successfully than women (p&lt;0.05), irrespective of location. MedDietScore was positively associated with SAI in both groups after adjusting for possible confounders. Finally, depression was more evident among GG compared to GA (p&lt;0.001).CONCLUSION: Place of residence and personal choices significantly affect the level of successful aging of people of similar genetic background. Contrary to our hypotheses, a) GA were aging significantly more successfully than GG and b) adherence to MD was found to be higher among GA compared to GG. Our study suggest that the living environment and the personal choices are more important determinants of successful aging compared to the genetic background.