Abstract: Objective To understand the current status of active aging of rural seniors and analyze its influence factors. Methods With convenience sampling method, 381 elderly people from Longtian Town, Toutang Town, Anle Town and Dadian Town in Wugang City, Hunan Province were selected as subjects from August to September 2018 and they were investigated by using Positive Aging Scale, the Sense of Life Scale and Health Self-management Ability Scale. Positive aging scores were logarithmically transformed into normal distribution, and then the multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of the positive aging of rural seniors. Results The total scores of active aging, sense of life meaning and health self-management of rural seniors were 80.00 (73.00, 86.00), 27.00 (24.00,30.00) and 124.77±13.00, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that average monthly income, presence or absence of chronic diseases, the sense of life meaning and health self-management ability entered the regression equation (P<0.01), which explained 66.5% of the total variation of active aging in rural seniors. Conclusion Active aging of rural seniors is at a mediate level, which is affected by the sense of life meaning, health self-management ability, average monthly income and whether they suffer from chronic diseases. Emphasis should be placed on seniors with poor sense of life meaning, those with poor health self- management ability, those with low average personal monthly income and those with chronic diseases. Multi-form health education such as videos, speech and peer health education are beneficial to strengthening the management of health behavior. Targeted comprehensive intervention measures such as drug treatment, rehabilitation training and psychological counseling, encouraging elderly people with low sense of life meaning to express their inner pain, worry about the future and attitude towards life, and positive guidance will be conducive to helping them establish a positive and optimistic attitude towards life and find the sense of life meaning, so as to promote positive aging.

Key words: rural, elderly people, active aging, sense of life meaning, healthy self-management