Does volunteering moderate the relation between functional limitations and mortality?
Open accessAbstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that functional limitations increase, and organizational volunteering decreases, the risk of mortality in later life. However, scant attention has been paid to investigating the joint effect of functional limitations and organizational volunteering on mortality. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that volunteering moderates the relation between functional limitations and risk of mortality. This prospective study used baseline survey data from a representative sample of 916 non-institutionalized adults 65 years old and older who lived in the continental United States. Data on mortality were extracted six years later from the National Death Index. Survival analyses revealed that functional limitations were associated with an increased risk of dying only among participants who never or almost never volunteered, suggesting that volunteering buffers the association between functional limitations and mortality. We conclude that although it may be more difficult for older adults with functional limitations to volunteer, they may receive important benefits from doing so.
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Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio 0.78; 95% CI 0.66, 0.90).
“Meta-analysis of five cohort studies found volunteers to be at lower risk of mortality (risk ratio: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.90).”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [49]
Three studies reported no association between volunteering and mortality.
“Three studies reported no association with volunteering [9,44,49].”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [49]
Meta-analysis of five studies identified a 22% reduction (CI: 10% to 34%) in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers.
“Meta-analysis of five studies [9,26,38,49,50] identified a 22% reduction (CI: 10% to 34%) in mortality among volunteers compared to non-volunteers.”
From Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers (2013) · cites this paper as [49]
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“Three studies reported no association with volunteering [9,44,49].”
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- Authors
- Okun, M. A., August, K. J., Rook, K. S., & Newsom, J. T.
- Affiliations
- Arizona State University (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Portland State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Okun, Morris A.
- Venue
- Social Science & Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-11
- Volume
- 71
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1662-1668
- ISSN
- 0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2975672
- OpenAlex
- W1999405595
- Cited by
- 59
- References
- 52
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 17.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- Locations
- Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (AG14130, R01AG014130, R01AG022957, AG022957)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Aging, Health, and Disability
- Keywords
- volunteering, functional limitations, mortality, older adults, moderating effect, aging, mortality risk
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Female, Health Status, Humans, Longevity, Male, Prospective Studies, Risk Factors, United States, Volunteers
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