Social participation and 5-year all-cause mortality in older Chilean people.

Abstract

We aimed to examine the degree to which social participation is associated with mortality risk in older adults in Chile. We used the Chilean National Survey on Elderly Dependency, which is linked to vital statistics, in order to obtain death records. Four proportional risk regression models were estimated. Even with controlled sociodemographic, economic, family, and health variables, older adults who participate in social activities had a 22% lower risk of death than those who do not participate. We concluded that social participation is a strong and significant protective factor for mortality in Chilean older adults. Social participation should thus be promoted from a life course perspective considering its effect on mortality in older adults who maintained an active social life.