Relationship of Cognitive and Social Engagement to Health and Psychological Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Daniel Liebzeit, Wan-Chin Kuo, Beverly Carlson and 5 others
PMID 35759719WHAT IT FOUND
Lower cognitive and social engagement in community-dwelling older adults was associated two years later with poorer self-rated health and higher surgery rate, but not depression, cognitive status, or hospitalization.
Key findings
01After matching, lower baseline cognitive and social engagement was associated with lower self-rated health and higher surgery rate at Visit 5.
02After matching, depressive symptoms, cognitive status, and hospitalization did not significantly differ at Visit 5.
03At baseline, low cognitive and social engagement was associated with lower self-rated health, while depressive symptoms, cognitive status, surgery, and hospitalization did not significantly differ.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was mostly well-educated White adults aged 55 to 70, so results may not apply to older or more diverse adults. The study compared groups defined by baseline scores rather than assigning an intervention, so it cannot show that changing engagement would change outcomes. The matched analysis used 124 cases and 124 controls, and the authors note that sample size and homogeneity may have limited psychological outcome findings. The low and high engagement groups were split at FCAS score 40, and some participants crossed that cut-point over time. Hospitalization and surgery were participant-reported. The study did not test an intervention to increase engagement.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing cognitive and social engagement will prevent surgery or improve health. The study compared groups defined by baseline scores rather than assigning an intervention, and depression, cognitive status, and hospitalization did not significantly differ.