Social Participation and Related Factors in Older Adult Women

Abstract

Background: Social participation is one of the most important factors in the health of the elderly and also the main goal of health-related interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess social participation and its related factors in the elderly women population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 women aged 60 and older in Hamadan, Iran, in 2020. The samples were selected by a simple random sampling method and according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. A demographic questionnaire, Women’s Social Participation Factors Questionnaire, and mini-mental state examination were completed, and data were obtained from the participants by trained questionnaires. Results: The mean social participation score was 70.8±10.7, and scores ranged from 0 to 120. The level of social participation was moderate in 82% of the participants, weak and insufficient in 16.3%, and strong in 1.7% of participants. The obtained results indicated that 39% of the participants were employed before the elderly, and 22.67% had regular employment in old age. There were different types of occupation among this group: 30.33% had paid jobs, 23.67% voluntary jobs, 62% religious activities, and 76% were jobless. Moreover, a significant difference was observed between social participation and elderly employment history (P<0.01), level of education (P=0.01), and regular physical activity (P=0.03). Conclusion: The social participation of elderly women was found to be mostly moderate in this study, and people with higher education, regular physical activity, and a vocational history before old age had better social participation.