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Published on: February 3, 2022
Environmental volunteering and health outcomes over a 20-year period
Karl Pillemer1, Thomas E Fuller-Rowell, M C Reid
1Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. kap6@cornell.edu
Purpose:
This study tested the hypothesis that volunteering in environmental organizations in midlife is associated with greater physical activity and improved mental and physical health over a 20-year period.
Design And Methods:
The study used data from two waves (1974 and 1994) of the Alameda County Study, a longitudinal study of health and mortality that has followed a cohort of 6,928 adults since 1965. Using logistic and multiple regression models, we examined the prospective association between environmental and other volunteerism and three outcomes (physical activity, self-reported health, and depression), with 1974 volunteerism predicting 1994 outcomes, controlling for a number of relevant covariates.
Results:
Midlife environmental volunteering was significantly associated with physical activity, self-reported health, and depressive symptoms.
Implications:
This population-based study offers the first epidemiological evidence for a significant positive relationship between environmental volunteering and health and well-being outcomes. Further research, including intervention studies, is needed to confirm and shed additional light on these initial findings.
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