Associations of Cooking Skill with Social Relationships and Social Capital among Older Men and Women in Japan: Results from the JAGES

Yukako Tani (), Takeo Fujiwara and Katsunori Kondo
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Yukako Tani: Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
Takeo Fujiwara: Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45, Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
Katsunori Kondo: Department of Social Preventive Medical Sciences, Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba-shi 260-8672, Japan

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-10

Abstract: The health benefits of social relationships and social capital are well known. However, little research has examined the determinants of social relationships and social capital. We examined whether cooking skill was associated with social relationships and social capital in older Japanese people. We used 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study data on a population-based sample of men and women aged ≥ 65 years ( n = 21,061). Cooking skill was assessed using a scale with good validity. Social relationships were evaluated by assessing neighborhood ties, frequency and number of meetings with friends, and frequent meals with friends. Individual-level social capital was evaluated by assessing civic participation, social cohesion, and reciprocity. Among women, high-level cooking skill was positively associated with all components of social relationships and social capital. Women with high-level cooking skill were 2.27 times (95% CI: 1.77–2.91) more likely to have high levels of neighborhood ties and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.20–2.27) times more likely to eat with friends, compared with those with middle/low-level cooking skill. Cooking skills explained 26.2% of the gender difference in social relationships. Improving cooking skills may be key to boosting social relationships and social capital, which would prevent social isolation.

Keywords: cooking skill; social relationship; social capital; older adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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