Quality over quantity - rethinking social participation in dementia prevention: results from the AgeWell.de trial

• Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 2024-09
• Main Authors: Kosilek, Robert P, Wendel, Flora, Zöllinger, Isabel, Knecht, Hanna Lea, Blotenberg, Iris, Weise, Solveig, Fankhänel, Thomas, Döhring, Juliane, Williamson, Martin, Luppa, Melanie, Zülke, Andrea E, Brettschneider, Christian, Wiese, Birgitt, Hoffmann, Wolfgang, Frese, Thomas, König, Hans-Helmut, Kaduszkiewicz, Hanna, Thyrian, Jochen René, Riedel-Heller, Steffi G, Gensichen, Jochen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0933-7954; 1433-9285; 1433-9285
• DOI: 10.1007/s00127-024-02757-4

Social participation as a protective factor against cognitive decline was one of the targets in the AgeWell.de study, a multi-domain interventional trial in a sample of older adults at increased risk for dementia. This study aimed to examine differential effects of the intervention and other influencing factors on social participation throughout the trial. A longitudinal analysis of study data at the primary follow-up after 24 months (n = 819) was conducted. The Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6) was used to assess quantitative aspects of social networks, and self-reported social activities were classified using a three-tiered categorical framework to capture qualitative aspects. A positive effect of the intervention was observed at the qualitative framework level, with an OR of 1.38 [95% CI: 1.05-1.82] for achieving or maintaining higher social participation at follow-up, while no effect could be detected on quantitative social network characteristics. Later phases of the Covid-19 pandemic showed a negative impact on the level of social participation at follow-up with an OR of 0.84 [95% CI: 0.75-0.95]. These findings suggest that by focusing on qualitative aspects of social participation as a component of dementia prevention, future interventions can promote enriched social interactions within established social networks. German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) ID DRKS00013555.