High Social Engagement, Contact Connected With Lower Risk of Dementia

Loneliness is associated with a higher risk of dementia, while frequent social contact and high social engagement are significantly connected with a lower risk of dementia, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Researchers utilized the Newcastle-Ottawa scale to assess the quality of reporting. To examine the association between social integration and the risk of dementia, researchers analyzed longitudinal cohort studies using random effects model.

The analysis included 40 publications generated from 32 studies/databases.

“The meta-analysis showed that strong social engagement (overall RR=0.81, 95% CI=0.74-0.89, P < .001) and frequent social contact (overall RR=0.86, 95% CI=0.76-0.97, P = .018) were positively associated with decreased risk of dementia,” reported researchers.

Per results, there was no significance in the influence of social support (overall RR = 0.92, 95% CI=0.80-1.06, P = .238) and close social contact (overall RR=0.74, 95% CI=0.48-1.13, P = .167).

An increased risk of dementia (overall RR=1.42, 95% CI=1.26-1.60, P < .001) was significantly correlated with loneliness, while the influence of social isolation (overall RR = 1.58, 95% CI=0.80-3.12, P = .192) showed no significance.

Although the number of studies was insufficient for a meta-analysis, researchers determined that a larger social network size (RR=0.75, 95% CI=0.59-0.97, P = .028) was a promising influencing factor.

Despite a sensitivity analysis being conducted, the heterogeneity among studies was reported as generally high.

“Nevertheless, the sensitivity analysis provided valuable implications that enhancing social engagement and reducing loneliness may prevent or delay the onset of dementia among middle-aged and older adults,” concluded study authors.

Reference:
Wang S, Molassiotis A, Guo C, Sze Him Leung I, Yee Man Leung A. Association between social integration and risk of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. J Am Geriatr Soc. Published online October 28, 2022. doi:10.1111/jgs.18094