Among Older People, Lessening Social Activity Linked To Decline In Motor Functions Such As Dexterity And Strength

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Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Also Included In: Mental Health;  Primary Care / General Practice;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 23 Jun 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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A new study from the US suggests that the less socially active an older person is, the higher the chances that their motor ability such as strength and dexterity will decline.

The study was the work of Dr Aron S. Buchman, and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and is published in the 22 June issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA/Archives journal.

Reducing motor function is a common feature of old age, characterized by a gradual loss of motor ability ranging from mild reduction in bulk, muscle strength, speed and dexterity, to severe impairment and disability, wrote the authors in their background information.

Decline in motor function among the elderly is also linked to disability, dementia and death, and although this is an increasing cause for concern as a public health issue, we don't know very much about the risk factors, especially those that we can do something about, they added.

For the study, Buchman and colleagues recruited 906 older adults taking part in the Rush Memory and Aging Project from 1997 to 2008 and looked at whether frequency of social activity in later life was linked to motor function decline.

They followed them for an average of 4.9 years and evaluated their motor skills in terms of grip and pinch strength, ability to stand on one leg, stand on their toes, walk in a heel to toe manner, put pegs into a board at speed, tap their index fingers in a particular pattern for 10 seconds.

The participants also filled in a questionnaire about their physical activities and their social activity. For their social activity they were asked to assess frequency on a five point scale where 1 meant they participated in a social activity once a year or less, 2 meant several times a year, 3 meant several times a month, 4 meant several times a week, and 5 meant every day or nearly every day.

Details about participants' demographics including education weight, height and disabilities were also taken.

The results showed that:

• A lower frequency of participation in social activity was linked to a faster rate of decline in motor function.


• One point decrease in the social activity scale was linked to approximately 33 per cent faster rate of motor decline.


• One point decrease of social activity was also equivalent to being about 5 years older at the start of the study period.


• This amount of change was linked to a 40 per cent higher risk of death and a 65 per cent higher risk of developing disability.

Even when they took into account potential confounders such demographics, late-life physical and mental ability, disability, depression symptoms, body composition and chronic mental conditions the strength of the link between frequency of social activity and decline in motor function was just as strong, said the authors who concluded that:

"Less frequent participation in social activities is associated with a more rapid rate of motor function decline in old age."

They said these results suggest that increasing social engagement could slow decline in motor function and perhaps even put off the onset of poor health that results from such decline.

However, before we can go ahead and design treatments, we need more research to confirm there is a direct cause and effect relationship between social activity and motor function decline, and particularly more investigation into the biological, and the neurobiological underpinning mechanisms, cautioned the authors.

"Association Between Late-Life Social Activity and Motor Decline in Older Adults."
Aron S. Buchman; Patricia A. Boyle; Robert S. Wilson; Debra A. Fleischman; Sue Leurgans; David A. Bennett.
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169 (12):1139-1146.
Vol. 169 No. 12, June 22, 2009

Sources: JAMA/Archives.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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