Methods: This was a secondary analysis study. Successful aging levels based on the successful aging components presented by Flood's theory were identified and the influencing factors were identified. Data were analyzed from 455 cancer patients and 567 cancer survivors who participated in the Korea National and Health Nutrition Examination Survey (2010~2015), conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, cancer patients were diagnosed with cancer by a doctor and answered "yes" to the current disease question. Cancer survivors had received a diagnosis of cancer from a doctor and answered "no" to the current disease.
The data analysis method is as follows.
First, the weighting was applied to adjust the extraction probability of unequal sample units, to correct non - response, and to match known population characteristics.
Second, descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used for the demographic characteristics of each group.
Third, the distribution of successful aging by each group was calculated by χ2-test.
Fourth, the factors of successful aging were calculated by logistic multiple regression analysis using forward selection method for each group.
Results: There was no difference in succeful aging between the two groups (t=1.38, p=.169). Stress was significant factors influencing successful aging in cancer patients. An educational level, income level were significant factors for predicting successful aging in both groups.
Conclusion: These results provide a basis for designing prevention and management programs as interventions to increase the prevalence of successful aging. It is also necessary to consider that successful aging of cancer survivors does not improve successful aging by simply ending cancer treatment and surviving from cancer. In the present study, we could not analyze all the items related to the prevention of cancer in Korea, and there was a point where we could not present a causal relationship with cross-sectional studies. Therefore, we need to conduct a comparative study through direct research on cancer patients and cancer survivors.