Frequent social interactions are linked to longer survival among older individuals while engaging in daily social interactions significantly prolongs long-term survival, according to the results of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey study (CLHLS).
The CLHLS was a prospective observational cohort study that analyzed the survival data of 28,563 older adults (median age = 89 years) to determine the association between various socialization frequencies and life expectancy of the individuals. The frequency of social interactions was categorized as (i) never; (ii) not monthly, but sometimes; (iii) not weekly, but at least once per month; (iv) not daily, but at least once per week; and (v) every day. The subjects were followed up over a 5-year period, and thereafter, until death. Survival analysis was made using the Kaplan-Meier method, after adjusting for factors such as age, sex, household income, smoking status, diabetes, self-rated health, etc. The association between life expectancy and frequencies of social interaction were expressed as time ratio (TR), which is the expected time to events in one category (social frequency group) relative to the reference group (no social interactions).
At 5-year follow-up, active socialization in any frequency was associated with improved life expectancy of older adults (p ≤0.001). Long-term analysis conducted from 5 years to the end of follow-up reported 3 times more survival benefits in individuals with daily social engagement (p <0.001) compared to those with no socialization. Time ratio of individual socialization frequency at a 5-year follow-up and from 5 years to the end of follow-up are shown in the Table given below.
Clinical implications
The study demonstrated the benefits of frequent and intense social interactions on the lifespan of older adults, a finding which holds a lot of significance in the light of the current rise in the ageing population globally. Active social engagement is crucial for healthy ageing as the effect of everyday socialization on the overall survival persisted irrespective of an individual’s health condition or presence/absence of chronic diseases.
(References: Wang Z, Zheng Y, Ruan H, Li L, Duan L, He S. Association between social activity frequency and overall survival in older people: Results from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). J Epidemiol Community Health. 2023; jech-2022-219791. Doi:10.1136/jech-2022-219791; Daily socialization may extend lifespan in older adults – Medscape – Mar 07, 2023; Frequent social activity associated with longer survival of older people. [internet] [Cited March 23, 2023]. Available from: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20230308/Frequent-social-activity-associated-with-longer-survival-of-older-people.aspx)