Informal Helping and Subsequent Health and Well-Being in Older U.S. Adults

Growing evidence suggests that informal helping (unpaid volunteering not coordinated by an organization or institution) is associated with improved health and well-being outcomes. However, studies have not investigated whether changes in informal helping are associated with subsequent health and well-being.

This study evaluated if changes in informal helping (between t₀;2006/2008 and t₁;2010/2012) were associated with 35 indicators of physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health and well-being (at t₂;2014/2016) using data from 12,998 participants in the Health and Retirement study - a national cohort of US adults aged > 50.

Over the four-year follow-up period, informal helping ≥ 100 (versus 0) hours/year was associated with a 32% lower mortality risk (95% CI [0.54, 0.86]), and improved physical health (e.g., 20% reduced risk of stroke (95% CI [0.65, 0.98])), health behaviors (e.g., 11% increased likelihood of frequent physical activity (95% CI [1.04, 1.20])), and psychosocial outcomes (e.g., higher purpose in life (β = 0.15, 95% CI [0.07, 0.22])). However, there was little evidence of associations with various other outcomes. In secondary analyses, this study adjusted for formal volunteering and a variety of social factors (e.g., social network factors, receiving social support, and social participation) and results were largely unchanged.

Encouraging informal helping may improve various aspects of individuals' health and well-being and also promote societal well-being.