Background:

There is a paucity of adequate and validated instruments for the measurement of successful aging for geriatric researchers in Chile.

Aim:

To validate the “Successful Aging Inventory” (SAI) in Chilean older people.

Material and methods:

SAI was answered by 777 older people aged 70 ± 7 years (63% women) living in urban and rural areas, including the highlands of a Northern desert region of Chile.

Results:

A Cronbach alfa of 0.92 was obtained for the general dimension of successful aging. The figures for each dimension included in the theoretical model (functional performance, intrapsychic factors, gero-transcendence; spirituality; purpose and life satisfaction), and ranged from 0.66 to 0.91. Confirmatory factorial analysis showed that the original inventory model, fits with the data collected from Chilean people.

Conclusions:

Successful Aging Inventory (SAI) is a reliable and adequate inventory, which can be used in Chilean older people.