Background:
Lack of social support and social isolation have shown to be a major risk factor for
poor health, mortality, and dementia. Our study investigated what factors in old age
drive the likelihood to be living in restricted social networks and to what extent
those factors then influence the risk of developing dementia.
Methods:
Data analyses were based on the study sample from the LEILA75+, a population-based
cohort study examining individuals aged 75 years and older. Social networks were assessed
using the practitioner assessment of network type instrument (PANT). The risk having
a restricted social network was estimated by using a random-effects and mixed-effects
logistic regression model. The Fine-Gray model was employed for calculating conditional
probabilities of competing risk of mortality.
Results:
Older age (OR 1.04) and living with a partner or spouse (OR 2.12) were associated
with a greater likelihood to have a restricted social network at baseline. After adjusting
for cognitive status at baseline, age, gender, marital status, residency, education,
comorbidities, and mortality, individuals living in restricted social networks had
a significantly higher risk for developing dementia over the study period (HR 2.11)
than individuals living in integrated social networks.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that integrating elderly individuals in the wider community is
a crucial indicator for dementia risk. As more than half of the study participants
were living in restricted social networks, interventions to strengthen social ties
and social engagement among elderly ought to be an urgent matter to reduce the burden
of dementia on the society.
