Poor Social Functioning: A Potentially Modifiable Risk Factor for Pneumonia in the Elderly.
Sugihiro Hamaguchi1,2, Sho Sasaki3,2, Sayaka Shimizu3,4
1Department of General Internal Medicine, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, JPN.
Cureus
|October 25, 2023
Summary
Poor social functioning is a significant risk factor for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in older adults, particularly men. Improving social connections may help prevent CAP incidence in the elderly.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) risk factors are often age-related and chronic conditions, posing challenges for intervention in the elderly.
- Poor social functioning negatively impacts health but is amenable to interventions.
- Social functioning, a component of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), may be a modifiable risk factor for CAP.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between poor social functioning and the incidence of CAP in elderly individuals.
- To identify social functioning as a potential modifiable risk factor for CAP in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study utilizing data from the Sukagawa Study (2018-2021).
- Inclusion of community-dwelling individuals aged 75 years or older.
- Measurement of social functioning using the SF-8 questionnaire and matching with health insurance claims data for CAP incidence.
Main Results:
- Analysis of 17,016 observation periods from 6,513 participants.
- Lower social functioning scores were significantly associated with a higher risk of CAP (adjusted rate ratio = 1.26 per SD decrease).
- The association between social functioning and CAP risk was more pronounced in men (adjusted rate ratio = 1.41) than in women (adjusted rate ratio = 1.00).
Conclusions:
- Poor social functioning is an independent risk factor for CAP in the elderly.
- Interventions aimed at enhancing social functioning may serve as a strategy for CAP prevention in this demographic, especially for men.
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