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KMID : 1023720170720030225
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Journal of Welfare for the Aged
2017 Volume.72 No. 3 p.225 ~ p.250
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Effects of Social Activities on Cognitive Function by Gender Difference among Older Adults：A Nine-year Longitudinal Analysis in South Korea
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Yang Seung-Min
Jeong Kyu-Hyoung
Choi Jae-Sung
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Abstract
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The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of social activities types on cognitive function by gender difference longitudinally. The research used the data of the elderly 2,347 over 65 years of age from the first wave (2006) to the fifth wave (2014) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA). First, there has been significant differences between two groups in social activities participation. Elderly male appeared to be higher in social gathering and school & hometown alumni/clan gathering, while elderly female did in religious party. Second, the cognitive function appeared to decline throughout the progress of time for both group, while elderly female showed to be steeper than that of elderly male. The difference in cognitive function among individuals in the group was increasing. In addition, the average cognitive function of elderly male was significantly higher than that of elderly female. Third, elderly female’s participation in all three main types of social activities (social gathering, religious party, school & hometown alumni/clan gathering) appeared to have a significant effect on their cognitive function. However, for elderly male, only participation in school & hometown alumni/clan gathering appeared to have a significant effect on their cognitive function. This study indicates that the effect of social activities on cognitive function among older adults appears differently by gender. Further, the risk of elderly cognitive impairment is relatively higher for female than for male. The researchers suggest that cognitive function improvement programs for the elderly should reflect gender differences. It is necessary to develop programs to expand opportunities for participation in social activities for elderly female and improve the quality of participation in social activities such as the improvement of interpersonal relations for elderly male.
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KEYWORD
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cognitive function, social activities, the elderly, gender, fixed effects model
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