Factors associated with participation in community activities after receiving long-term care preventive services

Abstract

Objectives Since amending the long-term care insurance system to cover community-based services in 2015, community activities led by older residents have become increasingly important in Japan. It is necessary for local governments to effectively promote participation in community activities during long-term care prevention services. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with participation in community activities and the contents of intervention after long-term care prevention services in which interventions were conducted to promote older residents' participation in community activities.Methods A secondary analysis of data collected in two classes of long-term care preventive services of a local government in Tokyo was conducted. This service provided not only interventions to improve physical function but also initiatives to promote participation in community activities after the service, such as learning and group-work activities. We analyzed participants' responses to self-administered questionnaires in 2016 and 2017; three months after the service started (T1) and six months after the service ended (T2). A total of 216 people (51 men and 165 women; age range: 65-95 years) responded to the questionnaires. Types of intervention, self-rated health, responses to the Kihon Checklist, and social capital, which was measured through items such as "Interaction with neighbors (SC1)," "Participation in groups other than preventive activity (SC2)," "Strength of trust for neighbors (SC3)," and "Mutual trust with neighbors (SC4)," were assessed at T1. Engaging in community activities was assessed to determine whether they participated in the self-motivating group for preventive activity at T2. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the factors associated with participation in community activities by adjusting for each variable.Results Totally, 113 respondents participated in community activities (participation rate=52.3%), and 103 did not participate (47.7%). Univariate logistic regression analyses revealed that types of intervention was significantly associated with participation in community activities (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.15-0.63, P=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression models adjusted for all independent variables also indicated that types of intervention was significantly associated with participation in community activities (OR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.14-0.62, P=0.001).Conclusion The results showed that approximately 50% of the participants were involved in community activities because participation in such activities was promoted in long-term care preventive services. Types of intervention was a significant factor associated with participation in community activities. These findings highlight the importance of program contents in community activities during preventive services.