The Effect of Kinesiophobia and Successful Aging on Quality of Life in Older Adults: Machine Learning Approach

Abstract

Background Kinesiophobia and successful aging are key factors affecting quality of life in older adults; kinesiophobia, the fear of movement, can lead to reduced physical activity, while successful aging promotes overall well-being. Aim This study was conducted to examine the effect of kinesiophobia and successful aging on quality of life in the older adults. Method This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 451 older adults living in Erzurum between July and November 2024. R programming language 4.1.3, G*Power 3.1 and SPSS-22 program were used in the analysis of the study. Results In the study, the level of kinesiophobia explained 8.4% of the total variance of the quality of life level (R2 = 0.084). It was determined that an increase in the level of kinesiophobia (t=-6.406, p < 0.001) caused a statistically significant decrease in the level of "quality of life". Kinesiophobia level and successful aging levels together explain 52.4% (R2 = 0.524) of the total variance in quality of life level. It was determined that the increase in the level of successful aging of the participants (t=-2.854, p < 0.001) caused a statistical increase in the level of "quality of life". The SHAP values of the variables in the best-performing model were examined. According to the graph, successful aging is identified as the most important variable in predicting the quality of life variable. It was found that the successful aging variable has an effect that is 4.917 units higher compared to other variables. Conclusion In this study, it was found that quality of life decreased with increasing kinesiophobia, whereas quality of life increased with increasing level of successful aging. Longitudinal studies on quality of life in the elderly are recommended.