Julia Nakamura
Health psychology PhD student Julia Nakamura has been recognized by the Mather Institute for her work “Are all domains of life satisfaction equal? Differential associations with health and well-being in older adults”.
Nakamura and her team studied a diverse group of 13,752 people aged 50 and better over four years to evaluate whether positive changes in seven domains of life satisfaction (living conditions; city or town; non-work, such as daily life and leisure activities; family life; financial situation; total household income; health) affected a series of physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health and well-being outcomes.
Among the findings: high satisfaction with housing had a decreased risk of chronic pain, depression, and living without a spouse or partner; high satisfaction with daily life and leisure activities, financial situation, income, and health were associated with decreased risk of physical functioning limitations.
“We are incredibly honoured to have our work on domains of life satisfaction and well-being in older adults recognized by the Mather Institute. We hope that these findings, which suggest that some domains of life satisfaction have a larger influence on health and well-being outcomes than others, contribute to ongoing conversations around implementing well-being metrics into policy measures and promoting healthy aging.”
As an internationally recognized resource for research and information about wellness, aging, and trends in senior living, Mather Institute invited submissions by researchers from universities and organizations around the world for this year’s awards, which cover a variety of categories from Aging in Place to Technological Advancements for Older Adults, and beyond.
“The Innovative Research on Aging Award honors University of British Columbia and Julia Nakamura for exploring the extent to which specific domains of life satisfaction might be responsible for driving better health and well-being outcomes over time. These awards honor excellent applied research with practical implications for the senior living industry. We hope these award winning studies will spark ideas in senior living organizations across the country and around the world.”
