Characterization of different groups of elderly according to social engagement activity patterns

The aim of this research was to segment older people in subgroups with similar social engagement activity patterns in order to better target public health interventions.

Cross-sectional data, collected in 2005 by Dutch community health services (response 79%), from 22026 independently living elderly aged 65 or older were used. Cluster analysis was performed to derive subgroups with common social engagement activity patterns, which were compared for their self-perceived health, mental health, physical health, and loneliness.

Among the independently living older people, five subgroups were identified with different patterns of social engagement activities: less social engaged elderly, less social engaged caregivers, social engaged caregivers, leisure engaged elderly, and productive engaged elderly. The subgroups differed significantly in social engagement activities, socio-demographics, and health (p < 0.001). The groups with the highest relative numbers of older people who were frequently engaged in leisure and productive-related activities, also included relatively more elderly with a good self-perceived health (85.8% versus 58.8%), mental health (91.3% versus 74.6%), physical health (97.7% versus 73.0%), and elderly who were not lonely (70.0% versus 52.0%) when compared to the least healthy subgroup.

Older people could be segmented in subgroups based on similar social engagement patterns. Groups with elderly who were less socially engaged demonstrate to be possible target groups for public health interventions, given the relatively high shares of unhealthy older people among them.