{"title":"Volunteering and Risk of Heart Attack in Later Life: The Moderating Role of Purpose in Life?","authors":"Mallory J Bell, Kenneth F Ferraro","doi":"10.1177/01640275241274316","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Objectives:</b> We investigate whether volunteering is associated with a reduced risk of first heart attack in later life and whether purpose in life moderates this relationship. <b>Methods:</b> Cox proportional hazards were used to examine seven waves of data (2006-2018) from the Health and Retirement Study-a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years and older (<i>N</i> = 5,079). <b>Results:</b> Volunteering a moderate number of hours was associated with a 46% lower risk of heart attack compared to non-volunteers. The association between high time-commitment volunteering and heart attack risk was contingent on level of purpose in life: compared to non-volunteers, people with high purpose in life who volunteered 100 + hours had the lowest risk of heart attack. <b>Discussion:</b> Meaningful volunteer activities may be one way for older adults to reduce their risk of heart attack.</p>","PeriodicalId":47983,"journal":{"name":"Research on Aging","volume":" ","pages":"140-150"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Research on Aging","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/01640275241274316","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/8/30 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: We investigate whether volunteering is associated with a reduced risk of first heart attack in later life and whether purpose in life moderates this relationship. Methods: Cox proportional hazards were used to examine seven waves of data (2006-2018) from the Health and Retirement Study-a nationally representative survey of adults 50 years and older (N = 5,079). Results: Volunteering a moderate number of hours was associated with a 46% lower risk of heart attack compared to non-volunteers. The association between high time-commitment volunteering and heart attack risk was contingent on level of purpose in life: compared to non-volunteers, people with high purpose in life who volunteered 100 + hours had the lowest risk of heart attack. Discussion: Meaningful volunteer activities may be one way for older adults to reduce their risk of heart attack.
期刊介绍：
Research on Aging is an interdisciplinary journal designed to reflect the expanding role of research in the field of social gerontology. Research on Aging exists to provide for publication of research in the broad range of disciplines concerned with aging. Scholars from the disciplines of sociology, geriatrics, history, psychology, anthropology, public health, economics, political science, criminal justice, and social work are encouraged to contribute articles to the journal. Emphasis will be on materials of broad scope and cross-disciplinary interest. Assessment of the current state of knowledge is as important as provision of an outlet for new knowledge, so critical and review articles are welcomed. Systematic attention to particular topics will also be featured.
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