ABSTRACT
Formal social participation significantly impacts health and well-being, potentially mitigating cognitive decline, although not consistently across all studies. Existing research often focuses solely on baseline participation levels, and age-related differences have primarily been explored among the Asian population. Therefore, this longitudinal study aims to assess the association between formal social participation and cognition across different age groups in individuals aged 50+ living in Europe and Israel, while capturing the dynamic nature of formal social participation. We use data from three waves (four, six, and eight) of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), comprising 85,601 respondents. Linear mixed-effects models were applied. The results show that participation in formal social activities mitigates cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults, especially among those aged 70 to 79 and 80+. These findings support the need for social policies promoting formal social activities, for lasting cognitive health benefits.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the important contribution of the funding partners (see the Financial support section).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Supplementary data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2024.2315769
Author contributions
CC, RM-P, and ADM conceived and designed the study. CC developed and led the research. CC performed the literature review. CC and GV analyzed the data. CC and PR discussed the results. CC wrote the manuscript and compiled the research results. CC, PR, GV, RM-P, and ADM participated in the critical review of the manuscript. RM-P and ADM supervised the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Data availability statement
SHARE data is available through individual user registration. All details about the application and registration process can be found at https://share-eric.eu/data/data-access.
Ethical standards
The SHARE study is subject to continuous ethical review. SHARE-ERIC activities related to human research are guided by international research ethics principles, such as the Respect Code of Practice for Socio-Economic Research and the Declaration of Helsinki. In waves 1 to 4, the SHARE study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Mannheim. Wave 4 of SHARE and the following waves were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Council of the Max Planck Society and the Ethics Councils of the participating countries.