This study investigated age categorization and identification among elderly living in the community and their relationship with sociodemographic variables and physical and emotional health. The sample consisted of 302 elderly participants in the FIBRA study - Fragilidade em Idosos Brasileiros (Polo Universidade Estadual de Campinas [Unicamp]; M = 72.3 years old, SD = 5.76; 64.6% women), with average education of 3.32 years (SD = 2.61) and income from one to three minimum wages (53.7%). The belief of existence and age attributed to the onset of old age were taken as indicators of age categorization and the self-report of feeling like an elderly person was taken as age identification. Although most elderly have assigned an age for the onset of old age (M = 62.3 anos; SD =14.66), most (60.3%) are not identified as belonging to this age category. Education, frailty and life satisfaction were found to be important predictors of these attitudes towards old age.
Attitudes; elderly; aging