London: A new study suggests that regularly participating in social activities can prolong the life of older people.
According to an estimate, in 2017, the number of people aged 60 years and above was 96.2 million globally, which will double by 2050.
Previous studies have indicated that an active social life is an important factor for successful aging in Western populations.
A new study recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community examined whether life expectancy is related to participation in social activities among older adults in China.
For this study, researchers analyzed data from participants in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS, a study of independently living older adults launched in 1998).
The new study, conducted on 28,563 people with an average age of 89, focused on five different dimensions of data collected from 2018-19.
The survey asked participants how much they participate in social activities. Participants in the study were categorized as participating in social activities on an almost daily basis, once a week, once a month, occasionally and never.
The researchers also obtained information on other potential factors for the participants, including gender, education, income, fruit and vegetable consumption, lifestyle and poor health.
The study followed participants’ survival for an average of 5 years or until death. In the first five years, according to the researchers, 25,406 people said they were not part of any social activities, while 1,379 said they participated occasionally. 693 people socialize at least once a month, 553 at least once a week and 532 on a daily basis.
According to scientists, 21,161 participants died during the follow-up period, of which 15,728 people died in the first five years.
According to the results of the research, the relationship between greater participation in social activities and longevity is evident.
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