Three-year effects of neighborhood social network intervention on mental and physical health of older adults.

OBJECTIVES: Although neighborhood is considered to be a crucial source of social network to promote health among older adults, current findings are mostly derived from observational study designs. This study examined whether participations in event-based community programs could increase neighborhood social network and whether such increase could lead to desirable changes in mental and physical health among older adults. METHOD: This study employed quasi-experimental design. A baseline questionnaire survey was sent to residents of Tsurukabuto community aged 60 years or more (n = 1769); 1,068 responded. Community events were implemented approximately once a month for three years. Then, a three-year follow-up survey questionnaire was sent to the respondents of the baseline survey. The total number of respondents in the latter survey was 662; of the total, 173 participated in the intervention. Strong and weak ties with neighbors, mental well-being (Ikigai-9), health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) were measured in the surveys. RESULTS: The path analysis revealed that intervention participation was significantly associated with changes in strong ties (standardized path coefficient = 0.12) and changes in strong ties were associated with those in Ikigai-9 scores (standardized path coefficient = 0.15). The total and indirect effects of intervention participation on Ikigai-9 scores were significant. Significant intervention effects were not observed for HRQOL and IADL scores. CONCLUSION: This study found that participation in our event-based intervention could indirectly and positively influence older adults' mental well-being through their strong ties with their neighbors.

Frequency of going outdoors and health-related quality of life among older adults: Examining the moderating role of living alone and employment status.

AIM: Going outdoors more frequently is beneficial for maintaining and improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among older adults. However, individual differences can alter the effects of going outdoors. The present study aimed to examine whether relationships between going outdoors and HRQOL were moderated by living alone and employment status. METHODS: The present study was a secondary analysis of 14-month prospective data (n = 613). Variables used in this study were baseline data on the frequency of going outdoors, HRQOL (physical and mental component summary scores assessed using the Japanese version of the Medical Outcomes study Short Form 8-Item Health Survey), living alone, employment status, potential confounders (sex, age, educational level and instrumental activities of daily living) and follow-up data on HRQOL. RESULTS: Mixed models showed that the interaction term of going outdoors and currently living alone on both the physical and mental component summary and that of going outdoors and current employment status on the mental component were significant. Stratified analyses showed that going outdoors more frequently predicted the physical and mental component summary among those who lived with others, and the mental component summary among those who were unemployed. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the influence of going outdoors on HRQOL was moderated by living alone and employment status. Going outdoors more frequently might be important for the maintenance of HRQOL, especially among unemployed older adults living with others. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 640-647.

Community intervention to increase neighborhood social network among Japanese older adults.

AIM: Strengthening neighborhood social networks is important for promoting health among older adults. However, effective intervention strategies aimed at increasing older adults' social networks have not yet been established. The present study examined whether a university-led community intervention that provided communication opportunities could increase older Japanese adults' neighborhood social networks. METHODS: The present study used a quasi-experimental design. Before the intervention, using postal mail, we carried out a baseline questionnaire survey that was sent to all people living in the Tsurukabuto community aged ≥60 years (n = 1769), of whom 1068 responded. For the community intervention, 18 event-based programs were provided over the course of 1 year at Kobe University. Academic staff at Kobe University organized all the programs. During the program, social interactions among participants were promoted. A follow-up survey was distributed to those who responded to the baseline survey, and 710 individuals answered the question about their participation in the intervention programs (138 respondents were participants, 572 were non-participants). The neighborhood social network was measured in both the baseline and follow-up surveys. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance showed that the changes in neighborhood social network among participants in the program was significantly higher than the changes among non-participants (P = 0.046) after adjusting for the baseline score of social network. CONCLUSIONS: The present study found that participants of the intervention expanded their neighborhood social network, but non-participants did not. This finding shows that community interventions using university resources could increase older adults' neighborhood social networks. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 462-469.