The Impact of Social and Cultural Engagement and Dieting on Well-Being and Resilience in a Group of Residents in the Metropolitan Area of Naples.
Social isolation and exclusion are associated with poor health status and premature death. A number of related isolation factors, inadequate transportation system and restrictions in individuals' life space, have been associated with malnutrition in older adults. Since eating is a social event, isolation can have a negative effect on nutrition. Cultural involvement and participation in interactive activities are essential tools to fight social isolation, and they can counteract the detrimental effects of social isolation on health. To provide data supporting the hypothesis that encouraging participation might represent an innovative preventive and health promoting strategy for healthy living and aging, we developed an ad hoc questionnaire to investigate the relationship between cultural participation, well-being, and resilience in a sample of residents in the metropolitan area of Naples. The questionnaire includes a question on adherence to diet or to a special nutritional regimen; in addition, the participants are asked to mention their height and weight. We investigated the relationship between BMI, adherence to diet, and perceived well-being (PWB) and resilience in a sample of 571 subjects over 60 years of age. Here, we present evidence that engagement into social and cultural activities is associated with higher well-being and resilience, in particular in females over 60 years of age.
Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Antonio
A
Rapacciuolo
Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Pasquale
P
Perrone Filardi
Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Rosario
R
Cuomo
Arci Movie, 80147 Naples, Italy.
Vincenzo
V
Mauriello
Department of Physics, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Maria
M
Quarto
IEOS-CNR, Naples, Italy; Fondazione GENS Onlus, 80121 Naples, Italy.
Annamaria
A
Kisslinger
Department of Advanced Biomedical Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Gianluigi
G
Savarese
Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy; R&D Unit, Federico II University Hospital, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Maddalena
M
Illario
Fondazione GENS Onlus, 80121 Naples, Italy; Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy.
Donatella
D
Tramontano