Social, productive activities prolong survival among elderly

August 20, 1999 Social, productive activities prolong survival among elderly as much as exercise WESTPORT, Aug 20 (Reuters Health) - Social and productive activities are as effective in reducing mortality among the elderly as fitness activities, according to the results of a prospective population-based study conducted in New Haven, Connecticut. For 13 years, a multicenter team led by Dr. Thomas A. Glass, of Harvard University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, followed 2,761 men and women who were 65 years of age or older in 1982. All subjects were interviewed annually through 1990, and again in 1994, about their fitness activities, social activities, and productive activities such as household chores, gardening and community work. For each type of activity, Dr. Glass and colleagues determined that mortality was significantly increased among subjects in the lowest quartile compared with those in the highest quartile. "Those in the least active quarter were 34.7% more likely to die than those in the most active quarter in productive activity; the figures being 20.3% for social activity and 18.8% for fitness activity." These differences persisted after adjustment for social, demographic and health factors, according to the research team's report in the August 21st issue of the British Medical Journal. "Social and productive activities were observed to confer equivalent survival advantages compared with fitness activities," the investigators conclude. "This observation is important because it suggests that activities that entail little or no physical exertion may also be beneficial. A wider range of mechanisms...may be involved in the association between activity and mortality than had been previously thought." These findings have "...important implications for public policy and clinical practice," the authors note. "Clinicians might recommend a broader range of activity options for older people. For patients with chronic conditions such as arthritis, social activity may promote wellbeing more effectively than physical activity." Dr. Glass and his colleagues also recommend public policy measures that "...reduce barriers to continued social engagement," such as "...public investment in transport and day centres for elderly people.