Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults

ObjectiveWhile the association between social participation and all-cause mortality has been investigated to some extent, the link remains inconclusive, especially in China. This study aimed to investigate the association between social participation and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and old...

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Main Authors: Zhengxing Xu, Xuehui Gan, Jiaxin Zeng, Peijing Yan, Chao Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Public Health
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1596215/full
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author Zhengxing Xu
Xuehui Gan
Jiaxin Zeng
Peijing Yan
Chao Yang
author_facet Zhengxing Xu
Xuehui Gan
Jiaxin Zeng
Peijing Yan
Chao Yang
author_sort Zhengxing Xu
collection DOAJ
description ObjectiveWhile the association between social participation and all-cause mortality has been investigated to some extent, the link remains inconclusive, especially in China. This study aimed to investigate the association between social participation and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adult people in China.MethodsUsing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and altogether 15,883 participants were included. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the relationship between social participation and all-cause mortality, and subgroup analyses were conducted by age (< 60 years, ≥ 60 years) and sex.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 9.01 years, 2,175 participants developed deaths. Results from multivariable Cox regression modeling showed participants who participated in social activities had an all-cause risk of death of 0.88 (HR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.99) compared with those who did not. Further analyses showed that compared with participants with no social participation, those with 1 item of social participation had an all-cause mortality risk of 0.93 (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.81, 1.06), and those with ≥ 2 items were 0.77 (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.94). In addition, subgroup analyses showed no age (Pinteraction = 0.571) or sex (Pinteraction = 0.440) differences in the relationship between the both.ConclusionOur results suggest social participation is an independent protective factor for all-cause death among middle-aged and older adult people in China. Active social participation helps to reduce the risk of death.
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spelling doaj-art-58533276f73f4c11979529b81eb8a5072025-08-20T03:50:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-07-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15962151596215Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adultsZhengxing Xu0Xuehui Gan1Jiaxin Zeng2Peijing Yan3Chao Yang4School of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of General Surgery (Hepatobiliary Surgery), The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, ChinaClinical Research Center, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, ChinaObjectiveWhile the association between social participation and all-cause mortality has been investigated to some extent, the link remains inconclusive, especially in China. This study aimed to investigate the association between social participation and all-cause mortality among middle-aged and older adult people in China.MethodsUsing data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and altogether 15,883 participants were included. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the relationship between social participation and all-cause mortality, and subgroup analyses were conducted by age (< 60 years, ≥ 60 years) and sex.ResultsWith a median follow-up of 9.01 years, 2,175 participants developed deaths. Results from multivariable Cox regression modeling showed participants who participated in social activities had an all-cause risk of death of 0.88 (HR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78, 0.99) compared with those who did not. Further analyses showed that compared with participants with no social participation, those with 1 item of social participation had an all-cause mortality risk of 0.93 (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.81, 1.06), and those with ≥ 2 items were 0.77 (HR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.94). In addition, subgroup analyses showed no age (Pinteraction = 0.571) or sex (Pinteraction = 0.440) differences in the relationship between the both.ConclusionOur results suggest social participation is an independent protective factor for all-cause death among middle-aged and older adult people in China. Active social participation helps to reduce the risk of death.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1596215/fullsocial participationall-cause mortalitymiddle-aged and older adultsprospective cohort studyChina Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
spellingShingle Zhengxing Xu
Xuehui Gan
Jiaxin Zeng
Peijing Yan
Chao Yang
Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults
Frontiers in Public Health
social participation
all-cause mortality
middle-aged and older adults
prospective cohort study
China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
title Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults
title_full Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults
title_fullStr Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults
title_full_unstemmed Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults
title_short Investigating the association between social participation and all-cause mortality risk among Chinese middle-aged and older adults
title_sort investigating the association between social participation and all cause mortality risk among chinese middle aged and older adults
topic social participation
all-cause mortality
middle-aged and older adults
prospective cohort study
China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1596215/full
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