Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Introduction/Objectives: The health of elderly individuals is known to benefit from maintaining societal involvement and relationships with other people, such as through social participation. We aimed to determine trends in the percentage of Japanese elderly people who engaged in social participatio...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319221111113 |
| _version_ | 1811224483203121152 |
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| author | Ryohei Goto PT, PhD Sachiko Ozone MD, PhD Shogo Kawada PT, MS Shoji Yokoya MD, PhD |
| author_facet | Ryohei Goto PT, PhD Sachiko Ozone MD, PhD Shogo Kawada PT, MS Shoji Yokoya MD, PhD |
| author_sort | Ryohei Goto PT, PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction/Objectives: The health of elderly individuals is known to benefit from maintaining societal involvement and relationships with other people, such as through social participation. We aimed to determine trends in the percentage of Japanese elderly people who engaged in social participation before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in one municipality in Japan, and compared differences in this status by gender. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Questionnaires were sent by mail to 3000 people aged 65 to 85 years who were randomly selected by the administrative staff of the city. Participant characteristics (age, gender, working status, residential status) and their economic status, daily physical activity, and social participation status were obtained at 3 time points: (1) before the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020; (2) immediately prior to the declaration of a state of emergency in April 2020; and (3) in January 2021, 1 year after (1). Results: A total of 1301 people responded to the survey. The mean age was 73.3 (SD 5.5) years, and 690 (53.0%) were women. There were significant gender differences in terms of living alone, employment status, and amount of physical activity. The number of people reporting social participation gradually decreased from 543 respondents (41.7%) at (1) to 319 (24.5%) at (2) and 251 (19.3%) at (3). Women were more likely to demonstrate reduced social participation. Conclusions: Elderly individuals, particularly women, reported decreased social participation during the pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:50:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-27af97e007b04625819119b864ffcbe8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2150-1327 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T08:50:16Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-27af97e007b04625819119b864ffcbe82022-12-22T03:39:36ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Primary Care & Community Health2150-13272022-07-011310.1177/21501319221111113Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional SurveyRyohei Goto PT, PhD0Sachiko Ozone MD, PhD1Shogo Kawada PT, MS2Shoji Yokoya MD, PhD3Family Medicine, General Practice and Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanFamily Medicine, General Practice and Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanFamily Medicine, General Practice and Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanFamily Medicine, General Practice and Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, JapanIntroduction/Objectives: The health of elderly individuals is known to benefit from maintaining societal involvement and relationships with other people, such as through social participation. We aimed to determine trends in the percentage of Japanese elderly people who engaged in social participation before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in one municipality in Japan, and compared differences in this status by gender. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Questionnaires were sent by mail to 3000 people aged 65 to 85 years who were randomly selected by the administrative staff of the city. Participant characteristics (age, gender, working status, residential status) and their economic status, daily physical activity, and social participation status were obtained at 3 time points: (1) before the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020; (2) immediately prior to the declaration of a state of emergency in April 2020; and (3) in January 2021, 1 year after (1). Results: A total of 1301 people responded to the survey. The mean age was 73.3 (SD 5.5) years, and 690 (53.0%) were women. There were significant gender differences in terms of living alone, employment status, and amount of physical activity. The number of people reporting social participation gradually decreased from 543 respondents (41.7%) at (1) to 319 (24.5%) at (2) and 251 (19.3%) at (3). Women were more likely to demonstrate reduced social participation. Conclusions: Elderly individuals, particularly women, reported decreased social participation during the pandemic.https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319221111113 |
| spellingShingle | Ryohei Goto PT, PhD Sachiko Ozone MD, PhD Shogo Kawada PT, MS Shoji Yokoya MD, PhD Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey Journal of Primary Care & Community Health |
| title | Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full | Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_fullStr | Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_short | Gender-Related Differences in Social Participation Among Japanese Elderly Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey |
| title_sort | gender related differences in social participation among japanese elderly individuals during the covid 19 pandemic a cross sectional survey |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319221111113 |
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