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IJE Advance Access published online on March 11, 2005
International Journal of Epidemiology, doi:10.1093/ije/dyi049
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association © The Author 2005; all rights reserved.
Accepted January 31, 2005

Original paper

Participating in social activities helps preserve cognitive function: an analysis of a longitudinal, population-based study of the elderly

Dana A. Glei 1, David A. Landau 2, Noreen Goldman 3, Yi-Li Chuang 4, Germán Rodríguez 3, and Maxine Weinstein 1*

1 Center for Population and Health, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
2 Center for Population and Health, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA; St Antony's College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
3 Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA
4 Center for Population and Health Survey Research, Department of Health, Taichung, Taiwan

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Maxine Weinstein, E-mail: weinstma{at}georgetown.edu


  Abstract

Background This study examines how changes in cognition over time are related to participation in social activities and the extent of social networks.

Methods Data are drawn from a population-based, longitudinal study that began in 1989 among elderly Taiwanese. An over-dispersed Poisson model is used to regress the number of failed cognitive tasks (0-5) in 1996, 1999, and 2000 on prior measures of cognitive impairment, social activities, social networks, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics. The analysis sample comprises 2387 individuals, who contribute a total of 4603 observations across three survey intervals (1993-96, 1996-99, 1999-2000).

Results After adjusting for prior cognitive impairment, baseline health status, and sociodemographic factors, respondents who participated in one or two social activities failed 13% fewer cognitive tasks (P < 0.01) than those with no social activities; those who engaged in three or more activities failed 33% fewer cognitive tasks (P < 0.001). In contrast, none of the social network measures was related to cognitive impairment.

Conclusions Despite a social structure where elderly persons often live with their children and social interaction is likely to be more family-centered than in western countries, data from Taiwan suggest that participation in social activities outside the family may have a bigger impact on cognitive function than social contacts with family or non-relatives.

Keywords: Cognitive impairment; cognitive function; social networks; social activity; social contact; Taiwan.
A Commentary has been commissioned to accompany this article and will appear with this paper in the printed issue.
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