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A 10-Year Follow-Up Study of Social Ties and Functional Health among the Old: The AGES Project

Author

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  • Chiyoe Murata

    (National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka, Obu 474-8511, Japan)

  • Tami Saito

    (National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka, Obu 474-8511, Japan)

  • Taishi Tsuji

    (Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan)

  • Masashige Saito

    (Department of Social Welfare, Nihon Fukushi University, Okuda, Mihamacho, Chita-gun, Aichi 470-3295, Japan)

  • Katsunori Kondo

    (Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8670, Japan)

Abstract

In Asian nations, family ties are considered important. However, it is not clear what happens among older people with no such ties. To investigate the association, we used longitudinal data from the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES) project. Functionally independent older people at baseline ( N = 14,088) in 10 municipalities were followed from 2003 to 2013. Social ties were assessed by asking about their social support exchange with family, relatives, friends, or neighbors. Cox proportional hazard models were employed to investigate the association between social ties and the onset of functional disability adjusting for age, health status, and living arrangement. We found that social ties with co-residing family members, and those with friends or neighbors, independently protected functional health with hazard ratios of 0.81 and 0.85 among men. Among women, ties with friend or neighbors had a stronger effect on health compared to their male counterparts with a hazard ratio of 0.89. The fact that social ties with friends or neighbors are associated with a lower risk of functional decline, independent of family support, serves to underscore the importance of promoting social ties, especially among those lacking family ties.

Suggested Citation

  • Chiyoe Murata & Tami Saito & Taishi Tsuji & Masashige Saito & Katsunori Kondo, 2017. "A 10-Year Follow-Up Study of Social Ties and Functional Health among the Old: The AGES Project," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-9, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:14:y:2017:i:7:p:717-:d:103444
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Carlos F. Mendes de Leon & Deborah T. Gold & Thomas A. Glass & Lori Kaplan & Linda K. George, 2001. "Disability as a Function of Social Networks and Support in Elderly African Americans and Whites," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 56(3), pages 179-190.
    3. Emiko Takagi & Merril Silverstein & Eileen Crimmins, 2007. "Intergenerational Coresidence of Older Adults in Japan: Conditions for Cultural Plasticity," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(5), pages 330-339.
    4. Sheung-Tak Cheng & Coty K. L. Lee & Alfred C. M. Chan & Edward M. F. Leung & Jik-Joen Lee, 2009. "Social Network Types and Subjective Well-being in Chinese Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 64(6), pages 713-722.
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    Cited by:

    1. Taiji Noguchi & Ippei Nojima & Tomoe Inoue-Hirakawa & Hideshi Sugiura, 2019. "The Association between Social Support Sources and Cognitive Function among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A One-Year Prospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-9, October.
    2. Marcia G. Ory & Matthew Lee Smith, 2017. "What If Healthy Aging Is the ‘New Normal’?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-5, November.
    3. Ricardo Pais & Luís Ruano & Carla Moreira & Sílvia Fraga & Ofélia P. Carvalho & Henrique Barros, 2021. "Social Support and Cognitive Impairment: Results from a Portuguese 4-Year Prospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(16), pages 1-9, August.

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