**3. Results**

#### **3.1 Measurement variables**

Of 8,162 eligible participants, included in the analysis were 7,066 individuals (male, 3,409; female, 3,657) aged lower than 80 years and with either no long-term care or the mildest degree of long-term care utilized in September 2001.

Previous studies detailed the critical results of the observed variables [25, 26]. The mean survival days between September 1, 2004, and August 31, 2007, were fewer in males than in females. 2.3 percent of male and 3.0 percent of female participants had degenerated to either the middle or severest degrees of long-term care in 2004 compared to 2001.

Compared with males, females displayed significantly lower educational attendance and annual income, deemed a gender disparity (Kendall's tau rank correlation coefficients were 0.376, p < 0.001 and 0.236, p < 0.001, respectively).

Regarding the dietary health score, most participants were distributed below seven points, while in the healthy lifestyle category, most participants scored above two points. The results indicated that many people enjoyed healthy lifestyles, although many later older people had an unhealthy diet.

#### **3.2 Results of exploratory factor analysis**

We use the latent variables obtained through exploratory factor analysis for a hypothesized model. Factor 1 indicated high loadings, particularly for self-rated health variables, and displayed a high confidence coefficient. Self-rated health and daily life satisfaction, except for the number of comorbid conditions, were termed"mental health factors" related to the three health-related dimensions. The number of comorbid conditions was a negative factor by itself. It is considered considerably associated with the physical condition since the comorbidities tended to include more common diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, apart from mental disorders among the target population.

Along with the number of comorbid conditions, BADL and IADL, excluding the frequency of going outside, informed the labeling of factor 2 as "physical health." We emphasized the social aspect of the frequency of going outside over the physical part. Therefore, factor 3 was identified as "social health" and included communication with the neighborhood, hobby-related activities, and frequency of going outside.

Factor 4 was termed "Healthy Dietary and Lifestyle habit" and involved healthy dietary and lifestyle habit variables. Finally, factor 5 was "Socioeconomic Status" and indicated educational attainment and annual income. The cumulative contribution proportion of the above five factors was 40.5 percent.
