Abstract
BackgroundOver the last several decades, social isolation and loneliness among older adults have posed an increasingly urgent challenge due to the rapidly aging population in Japan. To remedy the situation, many communities have introduced intergenerational programs. However, few studies have investigated the benefits of social capital across generations as a result of intergenerational interaction between children and older generations. Therefore, we aim to ascertain the degree to which intergenerational programs that take root in a community will affect the social capital of all generations in the community.MethodsWe focus our research on one specific program, REPRINTS, an intergenerational health promotion program for older adults that has been active for over 10 years in Tama Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of residents between the ages of 20 and 84 years who were randomly selected from the basic resident register. Approximately 2500 residents were selected, of which 978 responded; data from 891 respondents were analyzed.ResultsHierarchical linear modeling suggests that the duration of programs was a significant community-level indicator of neighborhood trust. At the individual level, people between 30 and 59 years of age and people over 60 years of age have more positive effects on neighborhood trust than do people between 20 and 39 years of age.ConclusionsThe ongoing intergenerational programs between older citizens and children can enforce neighborhood trust, thus strengthening a community’s intergenerational ties. The REPRINTS program has been developed through cooperation with local citizens, senior volunteers, and teachers from the community. Its collaborative nature ensures longevity and continuous growth in a community. It is challenging to create long-term intergenerational programs that take root in communities, making persistence and collaboration a crucial factor in fruitful intergenerational relationships. Overall, ongoing intergenerational program implementation associates with building social capital, thereby strengthening potential intergenerational ties and promote mutual support among local residents which will reduce or prevent social isolation among older.
Highlights
Over the last several decades, social isolation and loneliness among older adults have posed an increasingly urgent challenge due to the rapidly aging population in Japan
In order to verify the effects of spillover on social capital, we aim to investigate the association between the degree to which intergenerational programs take root in the community and social capital among local residents
We focus on the REPRINTS program, an intergenerational program training senior volunteers to work in schools
Summary
Over the last several decades, social isolation and loneliness among older adults have posed an increasingly urgent challenge due to the rapidly aging population in Japan. Few studies have investigated the benefits of social capital across generations as a result of intergenerational interaction between children and older generations. Over the past few decades, the population of several developed countries, including Japan, has begun to age rapidly. Studies show that the number of older people who live alone is increasing and that older citizens are more socially isolated than they have ever been [1, 2]. Previous studies have shown that social capital has a positive effect on several health outcomes, including mortality, hospitalization, self-rated health, and depression [7,8,9]
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