Associations between social participation patterns and intrinsic capacity and its domains among older adults: a study based on CHARLS data.
- 1School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China.
- 2School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Against the backdrop of global population aging, achieving healthy aging has become a critical issue. Intrinsic capacity (IC), a core component of healthy aging encompassing cognition, locomotion, vitality, sensory, and psychological domains, is key to maintaining functional ability in older adults. Social participation is recognized as an important pathway to enhance the health and well-being of older adults, but the specific relationships between its patterns and intrinsic capacity require systematic investigation.Methods
Utilizing data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), 2672 adults aged 60 years and above were selected as the study population. Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify social participation patterns. Ordered logistic regression and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the associations between these patterns and intrinsic capacity and its domains, controlling for demographic and health-related variables.Results
LCA identified three distinct social participation patterns: "General Social and Help Group" (35.6%), "Friends Socializing Focus Group" (48.1%), and "Games and Community Activities Group" (16.2%). Using the "Games and Community Activities Group" as the reference, the "Friends Socializing Focus Group" was significantly associated with poorer overall intrinsic capacity (OR = 0.742, 95% CI: 0.603-0.914) and a lower psychological domain score (OR = 0.750, 95% CI: 0.580-0.969). The "General Social and Help Group" showed no significant association with intrinsic capacity or its domains. Additionally, being male, having a higher education level, and urban residence were associated with better intrinsic capacity.Conclusion
Social participation among Chinese older adults exhibits significant heterogeneity. Compared to a single-focus pattern like friend socialization, participation patterns centered on games and community activities are associated with better overall intrinsic capacity and psychological function. Healthy aging practices should encourage older adults to engage in diverse, comprehensive social activities to holistically enhance their intrinsic capacity.
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BibTeX
@article{guan2026associations,
title = {{Associations between social participation patterns and intrinsic capacity and its domains among older adults: a study based on CHARLS data.}},
author = {Guoxiang Guan and Runjie Sun and Jinxin Zhou and Huiling Wu and Ziyue Chen and Yijing Li and Yanru Kang and Yongbing Liu},
journal = {BMC public health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s12889-026-28902-z},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968061},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Associations between social participation patterns and intrinsic capacity and its domains among older adults: a study based on CHARLS data.
AU - Guoxiang Guan
AU - Runjie Sun
AU - Jinxin Zhou
AU - Huiling Wu
AU - Ziyue Chen
AU - Yijing Li
AU - Yanru Kang
AU - Yongbing Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/05
JO - BMC public health
DO - 10.1186/s12889-026-28902-z
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42968061
AB - Background Against the backdrop of global population aging, achieving healthy aging has become a critical issue. Intrinsic capacity (IC), a core component of healthy aging encompassing cognition, locomotion, vitality, sensory, and psychological domains, is key to maintaining functional ability in older adults. Social participation is recognized as an important pathway to enhance the health and well-being of older adults, but the specific relationships between its patterns and intrinsic capacity require systematic investigation.Methods Utilizing data from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), 2672 adults aged 60 years and above were selected as the study population. Latent class analysis (LCA) was employed to identify social participation patterns. Ordered logistic regression and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the associations between these patterns and intrinsic capacity and its domains, controlling for demographic and health-related variables.Results LCA identified three distinct social participation patterns: "General Social and Help Group" (35.6%), "Friends Socializing Focus Group" (48.1%), and "Games and Community Activities Group" (16.2%). Using the "Games and Community Activities Group" as the reference, the "Friends Socializing Focus Group" was significantly associated with poorer overall intrinsic capacity (OR = 0.742, 95% CI: 0.603-0.914) and a lower psychological domain score (OR = 0.750, 95% CI: 0.580-0.969). The "General Social and Help Group" showed no significant association with intrinsic capacity or its domains. Additionally, being male, having a higher education level, and urban residence were associated with better intrinsic capacity.Conclusion Social participation among Chinese older adults exhibits significant heterogeneity. Compared to a single-focus pattern like friend socialization, participation patterns centered on games and community activities are associated with better overall intrinsic capacity and psychological function. Healthy aging practices should encourage older adults to engage in diverse, comprehensive social activities to holistically enhance their intrinsic capacity.
SN - 1471-2458
ER -