Vogelsang Eric M, Moorman Sara M, Zanotelli Zackary
Department of Sociology and Center on Aging, California State University-San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
Department of Sociology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
J Aging Health. 2025 Apr 9:8982643251331808. doi: 10.1177/08982643251331808.
ObjectivesThere is growing recognition that social participation may help attenuate cognitive decline in older ages. Unfortunately, previous research often relies on participation index measures, which may obfuscate associations among cognition, specific activities, and the frequency of partaking in those activities.MethodsData are from six waves of the Health and Retirement Study ( = 20,696). Regression models test how associations between social participation and cognition vary by social activity and by multiple specifications of activity frequency.ResultsUsing a participation index, any new activity or increase in activity frequency was positively associated with cognition. When segregating activities, only three activities had positive associations: meeting friends, volunteering, and being a part of community organizations. We find limited evidence that activity frequency is an important moderator.DiscussionSocial activities likely have heterogeneous associations with older adult cognition. The frequency threshold linking social participation to cognition may be "any" regular participation in select activities.
目标
人们越来越认识到，社会参与可能有助于减缓老年人的认知衰退。不幸的是，以往的研究往往依赖于参与指数测量，这可能会模糊认知、特定活动以及参与这些活动的频率之间的关联。
方法
数据来自健康与退休研究的六轮调查（n = 20,696）。回归模型检验了社会参与与认知之间的关联如何因社会活动以及活动频率的多种设定而有所不同。
结果
使用参与指数时，任何新活动或活动频率的增加都与认知呈正相关。当对活动进行分类时，只有三种活动有正相关：与朋友见面、做志愿者以及成为社区组织的一员。我们发现有限的证据表明活动频率是一个重要的调节因素。
讨论
社会活动可能与老年人的认知有不同的关联。将社会参与与认知联系起来的频率阈值可能是“任何”对特定活动的定期参与。
