AUTHOR=Wang Ziqiong , Chen Changchun , Ruan Haiyan , He Sen 

TITLE=Association of increased participation in social activity in later life with risk of all-cause mortality and heart diseases in older people: results from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS)

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1396184

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1396184

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Background</title><p>Previous studies have shown social activity is associated with reduced risk of health outcomes. However, among older people (≥65 years) who were socially inactive at baseline, limited study explored whether increased participation in social activity in later life was associated with reduced risk of health outcomes; therefore, using the data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, the study was performed.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>The study outcomes were 10-year all-cause mortality (sample number = 9,984) and 10-year heart diseases (sample number = 7,496). The exposure was the change of social activity frequency. Cox regression analysis was used for data analysis.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>During the follow-up, there were 6,407 all-cause mortalities and 1,035 heart diseases, respectively. Kaplan–Meier analysis demonstrated that cumulative incidences of all-cause mortality were significantly lower in participants with changes into more frequent social activity (log-rank <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), while no significant difference was observed for heart diseases (log-rank <italic>p</italic> = 0.330). Compared with the subgroup who never participated in social activity at baseline, adjusted HRs of all-cause mortality were 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70–0.90, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), 0.78 (95% CI: 0.63–0.96, <italic>p</italic> = 0.019), 0.74 (0.59–0.92, <italic>p</italic> = 0.006), and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.56–0.88, <italic>p</italic> = 0.002) for the subgroup of switching to sometimes, the subgroup of switching to once a month, the subgroup of switching to once a week, and the subgroup of switching to everyday, respectively. The corresponding HRs of heart diseases were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.65–1.08, <italic>p</italic> = 0.170), 0.82 (95% CI: 0.51–1.31, <italic>p</italic> = 0.412), 0.91 (0.58–1.42, <italic>p</italic> = 0.675) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.47–1.20, <italic>p</italic> = 0.227), respectively. Stratified and sensitivity analyses revealed similar results.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Among older people who never participated in social activity, increased participation in social activity in later life was associated with reduced risk of all-cause mortality, but was not associated with reduced risk of heart diseases.</p></sec>