ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2025
Low Social Engagement and Risk of Death in Older Adults.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Associations Between Lifestyle Behaviors and Handgrip Strength in Community-Dwelling Older Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effect Modification by Exercise Habit on the Association Between Participation in Community Gathering Places and Cognitive Disability.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- Trajectories of Social Activity Engagement and Physical and Cognitive Function During the Last Years of Life.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2026Article
- CareMobi to Improve Communication Between Caregivers and Adult Day Centers for People With Dementia: Mixed Methods Feasibility Study.JMIR aging · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSocial engagement contributes to healthy aging, yet the mechanisms linking social engagement to mortality risk remain poorly understood. This study investigated the biological, behavioral, and psychological pathways mediating this relationship.
methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study using Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data on participants aged 60 and older who completed the Psychosocial and Lifestyle Questionnaires and provided blood samples in 2016. Social engagement was assessed using nine items from the HRS Social Participation questionnaire, with responses categorized as low, moderate, or high. Biological age was calculated using the Klemera-Doubal method and compared to chronological age to identify decelerated aging. We explored mediating pathways between social engagement and 4-year mortality risk using counterfactual mediation analyses.
resultsIn total, 2268 participants were included. Higher social engagement was associated with lower all-cause mortality rates over 4 years of follow-up. The high social engagement group participants had a lower median biological age, healthier behaviors, and lower prevalence of depressive symptoms than those in the low and moderate engagement groups. High social engagement was associated with lower mortality risk than low engagement (a-HR: 0.58 [95% CI: 0.39, 0.86; p = 0.009]). This effect was partially mediated by regular physical activity (16%) and decelerated biological age (15%). Other factors such as high depressive symptoms, excess alcohol use, and tobacco use showed no significant mediating effects.
conclusionsHigher social engagement in older adults is associated with reduced mortality risk possibly due to decreased biological aging and increased physical activity levels.
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Registered trials
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