Large-scale empirical study to clarify the relationship between the social and built environments of frail older adults

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K21158
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0908:Society medicine, nursing, and related fields
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: Abe Noriyuki 千葉大学, 予防医学センター, 特任研究員 (70907716)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: フレイル / 社会参加 / 社会環境 / 建造環境 / 大規模データ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I examined the relationship between the type and number of social participation and the onset frailty. The Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) panel survey data for both 2016 and 2019 wave were analyzed for 59,545 respondents from 28 municipalities. The results showed that those who participated in long-term care prevention, income-generating jobs, volunteer activities, community associations, learning and culture circles, transmission of special skills and experiences, hobby activities, and sports activities as of 2016 had a significantly lower risk of onset frailty than those who did not.

Free Research Field

公衆衛生学、疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究によってスポーツ活動や就労など、体を動かすことを主とする社会参加だけでなく、趣味活動や自治会への参加、ボランティア活動など、幅広い「社会参加」を行うことで、フレイル状態に陥るリスクが低いことを明らかにした。本研究によって、社会参加をしやすい地域コミュニティの形成（人とのつながりをもつこと）や、徒歩圏内に社会参加先があるような活動拠点の整備などが重要になることが示唆された。