Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study

Background: Community social capital is associated with various health outcomes; however, its impact on mortality is not fully understood, particularly in non-Western settings. This study examined the association between community-level social capital and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Hiroshi Murayama, Mika Sugiyama, Hiroki Inagaki, Ayako Edahiro, Fumiko Miyamae, Chiaki Ura, Keiko Motokawa, Tsuyoshi Okamura, Shuichi Awata
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Japan Epidemiological Association 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Epidemiology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/35/6/35_JE20240277/_pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850233694721146880
author Hiroshi Murayama
Mika Sugiyama
Hiroki Inagaki
Ayako Edahiro
Fumiko Miyamae
Chiaki Ura
Keiko Motokawa
Tsuyoshi Okamura
Shuichi Awata
author_facet Hiroshi Murayama
Mika Sugiyama
Hiroki Inagaki
Ayako Edahiro
Fumiko Miyamae
Chiaki Ura
Keiko Motokawa
Tsuyoshi Okamura
Shuichi Awata
author_sort Hiroshi Murayama
collection DOAJ
description Background: Community social capital is associated with various health outcomes; however, its impact on mortality is not fully understood, particularly in non-Western settings. This study examined the association between community-level social capital and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Methods: The baseline data were obtained from a 2015 questionnaire survey for all 132,005 residents aged ≥65 years without long-term care insurance certification in Adachi Ward (consisting of 262 small districts) of the Tokyo metropolitan area. We measured two aspects of social capital: neighborhood cohesion as cognitive social capital and neighborhood network as structural social capital. For district-level social capital, we aggregated the individual responses of neighborhood cohesion and neighborhood network in each district. Results: A total of 75,338 were analyzed. A multilevel survival analysis with an average follow-up of 1,656 days showed that higher district-level neighborhood cohesion was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in men (hazard ratio 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84–0.99 for the highest quintile and 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82–0.99 for the second, compared to the lowest), but not in women. This association was more pronounced in men aged 65–74 years. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights from the Asian population. Men, who typically have fewer social networks and support systems than women, could receive more benefits from residing in a cohesive community, which may contribute to their longevity. These findings support public health strategies that bolster community social capital as a means of archiving longevity among older men, underscoring the importance of social integration in aging societies.
format Article
id doaj-art-db8bc5746aa04bdca16cf296098c0ccb
institution OA Journals
issn 0917-5040
1349-9092
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Japan Epidemiological Association
record_format Article
series Journal of Epidemiology
spelling doaj-art-db8bc5746aa04bdca16cf296098c0ccb2025-08-20T02:02:51ZengJapan Epidemiological AssociationJournal of Epidemiology0917-50401349-90922025-06-0135627027710.2188/jea.JE20240277Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort StudyHiroshi Murayama0Mika Sugiyama1Hiroki Inagaki2Ayako Edahiro3Fumiko Miyamae4Chiaki Ura5Keiko Motokawa6Tsuyoshi Okamura7Shuichi Awata8Research Team for Social Participation and Healthy Aging, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanResearch Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanIntegrated Research Initiative for Living Well with Dementia, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Tokyo, JapanBackground: Community social capital is associated with various health outcomes; however, its impact on mortality is not fully understood, particularly in non-Western settings. This study examined the association between community-level social capital and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older Japanese adults. Methods: The baseline data were obtained from a 2015 questionnaire survey for all 132,005 residents aged ≥65 years without long-term care insurance certification in Adachi Ward (consisting of 262 small districts) of the Tokyo metropolitan area. We measured two aspects of social capital: neighborhood cohesion as cognitive social capital and neighborhood network as structural social capital. For district-level social capital, we aggregated the individual responses of neighborhood cohesion and neighborhood network in each district. Results: A total of 75,338 were analyzed. A multilevel survival analysis with an average follow-up of 1,656 days showed that higher district-level neighborhood cohesion was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in men (hazard ratio 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84–0.99 for the highest quintile and 0.91; 95% CI, 0.82–0.99 for the second, compared to the lowest), but not in women. This association was more pronounced in men aged 65–74 years. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights from the Asian population. Men, who typically have fewer social networks and support systems than women, could receive more benefits from residing in a cohesive community, which may contribute to their longevity. These findings support public health strategies that bolster community social capital as a means of archiving longevity among older men, underscoring the importance of social integration in aging societies.https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/35/6/35_JE20240277/_pdfsocial capitalmortalityneighborhood cohesionneighborhood networkjapan
spellingShingle Hiroshi Murayama
Mika Sugiyama
Hiroki Inagaki
Ayako Edahiro
Fumiko Miyamae
Chiaki Ura
Keiko Motokawa
Tsuyoshi Okamura
Shuichi Awata
Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study
Journal of Epidemiology
social capital
mortality
neighborhood cohesion
neighborhood network
japan
title Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study
title_full Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study
title_fullStr Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study
title_full_unstemmed Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study
title_short Community Social Capital and All-cause Mortality in Japan: Findings From the Adachi Cohort Study
title_sort community social capital and all cause mortality in japan findings from the adachi cohort study
topic social capital
mortality
neighborhood cohesion
neighborhood network
japan
url https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jea/35/6/35_JE20240277/_pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT hiroshimurayama communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT mikasugiyama communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT hirokiinagaki communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT ayakoedahiro communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT fumikomiyamae communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT chiakiura communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT keikomotokawa communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT tsuyoshiokamura communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy
AT shuichiawata communitysocialcapitalandallcausemortalityinjapanfindingsfromtheadachicohortstudy