Path analysis of self-care amongst community-dwelling pre-ageing and older adults with chronic diseases: A salutogenic model

•Cognitive function affects self-care via sense of coherence and health practices.•Those with higher sense of coherence have capacities to execute complex self-care.•The findings concur with the shift towards community care in the ageing population.•The salutogenic model can be integrated into interventions to facilitate self-care. With the trend towards ageing population globally, the salutogenic model can be integrated in interventions for pre-ageing and older adults to better support healthy ageing. However, there is limited research examining the salutogenic model's pathway amongst pre-ageing and older adults. Hence, this study aims to investigate pathways of the salutogenic model amongst pre-ageing and older adults with chronic diseases. Two hundred and eight pre-ageing and older adults were recruited from 11 Senior Activity Centres in Singapore. Data was collected using a self-reported questionnaire and analysed using path analyses. The indirect pathway from Subjective Cognitive Complaints to self-care abilities via sense of coherence and health practices were significant. Participants with higher sense of coherence may have increased capacities to execute more complex forms of self-care. Future interventions integrating the salutogenic model could enhance pre-ageing and older adults’ self-care abilities to cope with chronic diseases and contribute to healthy ageing.