Association between Non-Face-to-Face Interactions and Incident Disability in Older Adults

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2022-02, Vol.26 (2), p.147-152
• Main Authors: Katayama, Osamu, Lee, S., Bae, S., Makino, K., Chiba, I., Harada, K., Morikawa, M., Tomida, K., Shimada, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aging; Confidence intervals; Disability; Disabled Persons; Electronic mail systems; Geriatrics; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Humans; Incidence; Independent Living; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Older people; Original Research; Primary Care Medicine; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life Research; Questionnaires; Social interaction; Telephones
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-022-1728-5

Objectives This observational prospective cohort study, conducted between September 2015 and February 2019, aimed to investigate the association between the incidence of disability and non-face-to-face interactions among community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Design Participants reported their interaction status using a self-report questionnaire. Face-to-face interactions comprised in-person meetings, while virtual interactions (e.g., via phone calls or emails) were defined as non-face-to-face interactions. We examined the relationship between their interaction status at baseline and the risk of disability incidence at follow-up. We also considered several potential confounding variables, such as demographic characteristics. Setting The National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Study of Geriatric Syndromes. Participants We included 1159 adults from Takahama City aged ≥75 years (mean age ± standard deviation = 79.5 ± 3.6 years). Measurements Interaction status was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire consisting of two sections (face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions), and four questionnaire items. Based on the responses we categorized study participants into four groups: “both interactions,” “face-to-face only,” “non-face-to-face only,” and “no interactions.” Results Individuals with both kinds of interactions (49.3/1000 person-years) or only one kind of interaction (face-to-face = 57.7/1000 person-years; non-face-to-face = 41.2 person-years) had lower incidence of disability than those with no interactions (88.9/1000 person-years). Moreover, the hazard ratios adjusted for potential confounding factors for the incidence of disability in the both interaction, face-to-face-only, and non-face-to-face only groups were 0.57 (confidence interval = 0.39–0.82; p = 0.003), 0.66 (confidence interval = 0.44–0.98; p = 0.038), and 0.47 (confidence interval = 0.22–0.99; p = 0.048), respectively. Conclusion Considering the interaction status of older adults in their day-to-day practice, clinicians may be able to achieve better outcomes in the primary prevention of disease by encouraging older adults to engage in any form of interaction, including non-face-to-face interactions.