Sekentei as a Socio-Cultural Determinant of Cognitive Function among Older Japanese People: Findings from the NEIGE Study

Hiroshi Murayama, Shigeru Inoue, Takeo Fujiwara, Naoki Fukui, Yuichi Yokoyama and Yugo Shobugawa
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Hiroshi Murayama: Research Team for Social participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan
Shigeru Inoue: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan
Takeo Fujiwara: Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510, Japan
Naoki Fukui: Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Yuichi Yokoyama: Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8510, Japan
Yugo Shobugawa: Division of International Medicine, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata 951-8510, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: Sekentei (social appearance) is a Japanese concept that describes a person’s sense of implicit societal pressure to conform to social norms. However, evidence of a relationship between sekentei and health outcomes is sparse. This study examined the association between sekentei and cognitive function among community-dwelling older Japanese people. Baseline data were obtained from the Neuron to Environmental Impact across Generations (NEIGE) study conducted in 2017; 526 randomly sampled community-dwelling individuals aged 65–84 years living in Tokamachi, Niigata Prefecture, Japan were analyzed. The 12-item Sekentei Scale was used to assess sekentei . Cognitive function levels were evaluated with the Japanese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-J; ranging from 0–30). Approximately 10% and 25% had cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment, respectively (MMSE-J scores of ≤23 and 24–26, respectively). Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that both high and low levels of sekentei were associated with lower cognitive function, particularly mild cognitive impairment, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, health conditions, and genetic factors. The current findings suggest that a moderate level of sekentei consciousness is beneficial for cognitive health, and that sekentei could be an important socio-cultural factor affecting cognitive function.

Keywords: cognitive function; sekentei; social appearance; social norms; older people; Japan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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