Active Social Life May Slow Signs of Aging

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Less frequent participation in social activity among older adults is associated with a more rapid rate of motor function decline, according to a recent report.

"Decline in motor function is a familiar consequence of aging, with older persons displaying a wide spectrum of loss of motor abilities ranging from mild decreased muscle strength and bulk and reduced speed and dexterity to overt motor impairment with concomitant disability," authors Aron S. Buchman, M.D., and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, have written.

Although decline in motor function is becoming a major public health concern, "little is known about risk factors for motor function decline that could translate into potential public health or clinical interventions," the authors write.
 
Researchers examined whether frequency of social activity in late life was related to motor function decline in 906 older adults participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project from 1997 to 2008. Researchers evaluated participants' grip and pinch strength and their ability to stand on one leg and then on their toes, to walk in line in a heel-to-toe manner, place pegs on a board in 30 seconds and tap index fingers for 10 seconds bilaterally.

Participants completed a health survey to assess their physical activities and used a five-point rating scale to measure frequency of social activity, with one indicating participation in a particular activity once a year or less; two, several times a year; three, several times a month; four, several times a week and five, every day or almost every day. Demographic information, education, weight, height and disabilities also were recorded.
 
"A lower frequency of participation in social activity was associated with a more rapid rate of motor function decline," with each one-point decrease in a participant's social activity score associated with approximately 33 percent more rapid rate of decline, the authors note. Additionally, a one-point decrease on the social activity scale was equivalent to being approximately five years older at baseline. This amount of change is associated with more than a 40 percent increased risk of death and a 65 percent increased risk of developing disability.
 
"The association of social activity with the rate of global motor decline did not vary along demographic lines and was unchanged after controlling for potential confounders including late-life physical and cognitive activity, disability, global cognition depressive symptoms, body composition and chronic medical conditions," researchers write.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA/Archives journal. June 22, 2009