Longitudinal impact of volunteering on the cognitive functioning of older adults: A secondary analysis from the US Health and Retirement Study.
Ester Villalonga-Olives, Kayleigh R Majercak, Josue Almansa and 1 others
PMID 37545782WHAT IT FOUND
Volunteering increased older adults' physical, social, and cognitive activity.
However, only the rise in cognitive activity predicted better cognitive functioning later. Social and physical activity changes did not improve cognition in this model.
Key findings
01Volunteering was associated with increases in moderate physical activity, social activity, and cognitive activity.
02Higher cognitive activity predicted increases in cognitive functioning in subsequent waves.
03Changes in social activity and physical activity did not significantly affect cognitive functioning in the model.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study excluded participants who dropped out or died between waves, meaning those with worse health or more rapid decline were not included, which may bias results toward healthier individuals. The analysis did not include proximal outcomes like neurological health or mental health (depression) because data was unavailable or would have reduced the sample size too much. Cognitive functioning was measured using a limited index (0-35 scale) that may not capture all domains of cognition. The study did not have a life-course perspective, as participants were only observed from age 50 onwards, so early-life factors influencing cognition were not assessed.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The HRS data is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that volunteering improves cognition solely because it is a social or physical activity. The study found that the social and physical activity pathways did not significantly predict cognitive functioning; only the cognitive activity pathway did.