Relationships of Community and Individual Level Social Capital with Activities of Daily Living and Death by Gender

Abstract

This study determined whether there is an association between social capital and a composite outcome of decline in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and death by gender. A prospective 3.5 year cohort study was conducted in a rural town in Japan. The study participants were 984 individuals aged 65 years and older with not impaired on ADL at 2010 baseline survey. Social participation and generalized trust were measured as social capital. The individual level responses were dichotomized and aggregated into the community level (eight areas). Multilevel logistic regression adjusting for covariates revealed that social participation at the individual level was significantly associated with higher odds of composite outcome (OR of “not participate” = 1.97, 95% CI = 1.38–2.81). Regarding generalized trust, only in men, there was an inverse association at the community level (OR of “low” = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32–0.96), and a positive association at the individual level (OR of “tend to be careful” = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.27–3.90). These results suggest that social capital were associated with a decline in ADL and death and that the association may differ by gender.

Social vulnerability underlying disability amongst older adults: A systematic review

“…Seventeen studies were considered of good quality, 42,47,53,57‐59,61,68,69,74,75,78,84,85,96,98,99 31 were fair quality, 15,37,38,40,41,44‐46,50,51,54,56,60,62‐67,72,76,77,79,81,83,86,88,91‐93,97 and 17 were poor quality 36,38,43,48,49,52,55,70,71,73,80,82,87,89,90,94,95 …”

“…In other studies, functional decline was assessed by means of access to public long‐term care services 37,41,60,63,64,67,68,71,81,87,88 . One study considered functional decline by means of years with active life 62 whilst in another study, a functional decline measurement was not described 59 (On‐line Appendix [Outcome Definition]).…”

“…Thirteen studies were performed in Japan: seven were part of the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES), 37,41,63,64,67,81,88 two were part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Study on Aging (TMIG–LISA), 49,61 and the rest came from other studies 60,68,71,87 …”

Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Activity of Daily Living Dependence in Older Japanese: The Kurabuchi Study

“…Marital status has also been identified as an important social factor associated with mortality, and married people are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors (and less likely to engage in unhealthy ones) than widowed, divorced, or single people . An association has been identified between lack of social and family support and development of noncommunicable chronic diseases in elderly people, and we previously reported that inadequate social capital is associated with a decline in ADLs and death . Therefore, we focused in the current study on how living circumstances and marital status might influence the association between depressive symptoms and future functional impairment.…”

“…11 An association has been identified between lack of social and family support and development of noncommunicable chronic diseases in elderly people, 12 and we previously reported that inadequate social capital is associated with a decline in ADLs and death. 13 Therefore, we focused in the current study on how living circumstances and marital status might influence the association between depressive symptoms and future functional impairment. Japan's Cabinet Office has reported that Japan has a large proportion of elderly people living alone, and that they are more likely than elderly people in other countries to rely on family than neighbors when they are sick.…”