The meta-data comprise five STATA do-file with the syntax used for the analyses for five publications. The proportion of older people is rapidly increasing and with that also the number of people in poor health. Finding ways to promote active and health aging is therefore highly important. This project aims to provide evidence on people's perceptions of their own aging to understand whether positive self-perceptions of aging act as a motivating factor that leads to greater engagement in social and physical activities, as well as in better maintenance of mental, physical, and cognitive health. This project specifically focuses on the bidirectional influences between self-perceptions and health as few studies so far investigated the bidirectionally of these two factors. Providing evidence in support of the causal pathway from self-perceptions to activity engagement and health is highly important to provide evidence that targeting self-perceptions could potentially lead to better health in middle and older age. This project comprises five studies/aims investigating: (1) the role of awareness of age-related changes as predictors of cognitive trajectories over two years. (2) the bidirectional associations between awareness of age-related changes and indicators of physical, mental, and cognitive health and functioning in middle and older age. (3) the cross-sectional associations between awareness of age-related changes and number and type of mental and physical health conditions. (4) the role of awareness of age-related change in the longitudinal association of pain with physical activity engagement. (5) the bidirectional association between awareness of age-related change and use of social media.Our society tends to view older people (i.e., those aged > 65 years) as being frail, sad, and forgetful. However, this is not the reality for many. Older aged people can experience both positive and negative changes. Examples of positive changes are increased free time to spend with friends or increased knowledge. Examples of negative changes are reduced energy and poorer memory. To capture the positive (gains) and negative (losses) changes an individual may experience as they age, a questionnaire assessing Awareness of Age Related Changes (AARC) was created. It asks about the gains and losses people perceive from mid-life to older age in five domains including cognition, mood, physical health, social relations, and lifestyle. My PhD documented for the first time levels of AARC gains and AARC losses among UK residents aged ≥ 50 years. On average, people reported higher AARC gains than AARC losses and the losses they experienced mostly related to reduced energy and having to abandon physically demanding activities such as running. However, one’s experience of age-related changes is unique, and each person can report different degrees of AARC gains and AARC losses. For example, healthier people reported higher AARC gains and lower AARC losses, compared to those in poorer health. Hence, my PhD contributed to ageing research by showing that asking people about the age-related changes they experience may help to identify those struggling the most while ageing. However, we do not know what is the causal relationship between AARC and one’s health. For example, those people that find it increasingly harder to remember things, experience new illnesses, or have low mood as they age, may notice these negative changes in their daily life and, consequently, report lower AARC gains and higher AARC losses. Alternatively, those who think that losses are an inevitable part of ageing, also tend to believe they have little control over their health and, consequently, are less likely to make the effort to follow a healthy lifestyle. Due to lack of engagement in healthy behaviours, such as physical activity, those who believe that losses are intrinsic in older age may experience poorer health over time and report higher AARC losses and lower AARC gains. Finally, it may be that the occurrence of losses in one health domain shapes individuals’ perception of their ageing which in turn influences other aspects of their health. For instance, memory difficulties may lead to perceived AARC losses which may then trigger poor mood. This fellowship aims to start addressing the link between AARC and health. This is important for informing the development of new strategies for promoting health in mid to old age. For example, if we were to find that those people whose cognitive abilities have been decreasing report higher AARC losses, asking people to complete the AARC questionnaire would help to detect those at higher risk of further cognitive decline.

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