Investigating the broad domains of intrinsic capacity, functional ability and environment: An exploratory graph analysis approach for improving analytical methodologies for measuring healthy aging

The current paper compared the empirical structure of 280 variables from the 2016 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N
= 16,327) estimated using exploratory graph analysis with a theoretical structure based on 20 broad domains of intrinsic capacity,
functional ability and environment, identified in the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health compendium.
The results showed that a structure with 21 first-order factors had the best fit to the data (i.e., lowest total entropy fit value) for
both the training and validation sample. A second-order exploratory graph analysis was applied on the interfactor correlation
matrix and identified five second-order factors. The five-factor structure presented a better fit than the theoretical three-factor
structure (approximately) representing intrinsic capacity, functional ability and environment. A close inspection of the network
structure generated by analyzing the rotated network loadings of the 21 first-order factors revealed an interplay between cognition,
mobility, need for help with daily activities, walking capacity, physical capacity, liver functioning, positive affect and perceived
mastery, low perceived control, and depression/negative mood. Combined, our results can help guide future research by providing
a framework for estimating the structure of multi-domain aging research as well as generating questions that can be addressed in
future research.