title: Influence of Social Engagement on Mortality in Korea: Analysis of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2006-2012).
abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of social engagement and patterns of change in social engagement over time on mortality in a large population, aged 45 years or older. Data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2006 and 2012 were assessed using longitudinal data analysis. We included 8,234 research subjects at baseline (2006). The primary analysis was based on Cox proportional hazards models to examine our hypothesis. The hazard ratio of all-cause mortality for the lowest level of social engagement was 1.841-times higher (P < 0.001) compared with the highest level of social engagement. Subgroup analysis results by gender showed a similar trend. A six-class linear solution fit the data best, and class 1 (the lowest level of social engagement class, 7.6% of the sample) was significantly related to the highest mortality (HR: 4.780, P < 0.001). Our results provide scientific insight on the effects of the specificity of the level of social engagement and changes in social engagement on all-cause mortality in current practice, which are important for all-cause mortality risk. Therefore, protection from all-cause mortality may depend on avoidance of constant low-levels of social engagement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.; Institute on Aging, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hyun
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3531-489X
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.; Department of Hospital Management, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Gyu
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4847-2421
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.; Department of Hospital Management, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Tae-Hyun
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1053-8958
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.; Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8314-6130
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.; Institute on Aging, Ajou University Medical Center, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Yunhwan
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8484-4750
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.; Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Cheol
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2306-5398
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D044466:Asian People; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Mortality; Network; Social Engagement