Participation in Community Gathering Places and Subsequent Health and Well-Being: An Outcome-Wide Analysis

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Abstract
Evidence remains inadequate regarding the benefits of participation in community gathering places, which is Japan’s primary strategy for preventing functional disability in older adults, in other domains of health and well-being. This longitudinal study examined the associations of participation in community gathering places with an array of subsequent health and well-being outcomes among older adults. We used 3-wave data (2013, 2016, and 2019) from Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (n = 5 879 or 4 232 depending on the outcome). Our exposure was participation in community gathering places in 2016. We assessed 34 health/well-being outcomes in 2019 across 6 domains. We adjusted for pre-baseline covariates including prior outcome values in 2013. Compared with nonparticipation, participation in community gathering places was associated with some outcomes in the following 3 domains: physical/cognitive health (better higher-level functional capacity), social well-being (more frequent participation in hobby groups, senior citizens clubs, learning or cultural groups, and seeing more friends within a month), and prosocial/altruistic behaviors (more frequent participation in volunteering; after Bonferroni correction as p < .0015, .05/34). Evidence was mixed and more modest for the outcomes in three other domains, mental health, psychological well-being, and health behaviors. Promoting participation in community gathering places may not only fulfill its original goal (ie, preventing functional disability) but also enhance other domains of human well-being, potentially by increasing social interactions.
Funding Information
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Kakenhi (JP15H01972, 19K20909, 20H00557, 22K13558, 21KK0168, 22H03352)
  • Health Labour Sciences Research Grant (H28-Choju-Ippan-002, 19FA1012, 19FA2001, 21GA0101, 22FA2001, 22FA1010)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (JP18dk0110027, JP18ls0110002, JP18le0110009, JP20dk0110034, JP21lk0310073, JP21dk0110037)
  • Open Innovation Platform with Enterprises, Research Institute and Academia (JPMJOP1831)
  • Innovative Research Program on Suicide Countermeasures
  • Sasakawa Sports Foundation
  • Japan Health Promotion and Fitness Foundation
  • Chiba Foundation for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
  • 8020 Promotion Foundation
  • Meiji Yasuda Life Foundation of Health and Welfare
  • National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology

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