Association between Non-Face-to-Face Interactions and Incident Disability in Older Adults

OBJECTIVES: This observational prospective cohort study, conducted between September 2015 and February 2019, aimed to investigate the association between the incidence of disability and non-face-to-face interactions among community-dwelling older adults in Japan. DESIGN: Participants reported their interaction status using a self-report questionnaire. Face-to-face interactions comprised in-person meetings, while virtual interactions (e.g., via phone calls or emails) were defined as non-face-to-face interactions. We examined the relationship between their interaction status at baseline and the risk of disability incidence at follow-up. We also considered several potential confounding variables, such as demographic characteristics. SETTING: The National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology-Study of Geriatric Syndromes. PARTICIPANTS: We included 1159 adults from Takahama City aged ≥75 years (mean age ± standard deviation = 79.5 ± 3.6 years). MEASUREMENTS: Interaction status was assessed using a self-reported questionnaire consisting of two sections (face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions), and four questionnaire items. Based on the responses we categorized study participants into four groups: “both interactions,” “face-to-face only,” “non-face-to-face only,” and “no interactions.” RESULTS: Individuals with both kinds of interactions (49.3/1000 person-years) or only one kind of interaction (face-to-face = 57.7/1000 person-years; non-face-to-face = 41.2 person-years) had lower incidence of disability than those with no interactions (88.9/1000 person-years). Moreover, the hazard ratios adjusted for potential confounding factors for the incidence of disability in the both interaction, face-to-face-only, and non-face-to-face only groups were 0.57 (confidence interval = 0.39–0.82; p = 0.003), 0.66 (confidence interval = 0.44–0.98; p = 0.038), and 0.47 (confidence interval = 0.22–0.99; p = 0.048), respectively. CONCLUSION: Considering the interaction status of older adults in their day-to-day practice, clinicians may be able to achieve better outcomes in the primary prevention of disease by encouraging older adults to engage in any form of interaction, including non-face-to-face interactions.