Relationship between Individual Social Capital and Cognitive Function among Older Adults by Gender: A Cross-Sectional Study

Tomoko Ito, Kenta Okuyama, Takafumi Abe, Miwako Takeda, Tsuyoshi Hamano, Kunihiko Nakano and Toru Nabika
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Tomoko Ito: Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Nutrition, The University Shimane, 151 Nishihayashigi-cho, Izumo, Shimane 693-8550, Japan
Kenta Okuyama: Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
Takafumi Abe: Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
Miwako Takeda: Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
Tsuyoshi Hamano: Department of Sports Sociology and Health Sciences, Faculty of Sociology, Kyoto Sangyo University, Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8555, Japan
Kunihiko Nakano: Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane 693-8501, Japan
Toru Nabika: Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE), Organization for Research and Academic Information, Shimane University, 223-8 Enya-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane 693-8501, Japan

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: As it is not easy to modify lifestyle, it is important to examine the effect of social capital (SC), which does not require behavior modifications, on dementia prevention. This study aimed to clarify gender differences in the relationship between cognitive function and individual SC among people living in a rural area in Japan. We used the Shimane Center for Community-based Healthcare Research and Education (CoHRE) study data from 2011 to conduct a cross-sectional analysis. The analysis included 491 participants, aged 40 years or older, who had undergone medical examinations in two rural towns in Japan. Both cognitive SC and structural SC were measured. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for cognitive function levels as binary outcomes. We found a significant association between cognitive function and individual cognitive SC in men (OR: 3.11, 95% CI: 1.43–6.78), and found that cognitive function was associated with structural SC in women (OR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.08–3.31). This study showed that the relationship between cognitive function and individual SC differed by gender. These results suggest that it is important to approach dementia prevention differently in men and women.

Keywords: cognitive function; social capital; gender; rural areas; dementia prevention; adult men; adult women; elderly (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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