Impact of social and intellectual activities on the intrinsic capacity of elderly people in China

XIA Ying; WANG Jialin; TANG Qi; WEI Meng; AN Qi; REN Qianqian

doi:10.12102/j.issn.1009-6493.2025.24.004

Abstract：Objective:To investigate the impact of social and intellectual activities on intrinsic capacity among older adults in China,and to provide reference basis for promoting healthy aging.Methods:Data were analyzed from 7 317 individuals aged 60 years and above,drawn from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS).Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline(RCS)analyses were employed to explore the impact of different social and intellectual activity scores on intrinsic capacity of elderly.Results:The overall prevalence of impaired intrinsic capacity was 75.54%,with domain-specific impairment rates as follows:cognition(40.04%),vision(33.74%),mobility(27.43%),psychology(26.95%),hearing(16.74%),and vitality(6.26%).Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of impaired intrinsic capacity were observed across groups of different in age,gender,education level,marital status,chronic disease status,nighttime sleep duration,and self-rated health(all P<0.05).Higher social and intellectual activity scores were significantly associated with better intrinsic capacity.RCS modeling revealed a nonlinear dose-response relationship between social and intellectual activity scores and intrinsic capacity.Conclusions:Social and intellectual activities were positively associated with intrinsic capacity in older adults,highlighting their potential role in advancing healthy aging.However,participation levels in such activities among Chinese elderly remain low.It was recommended that policymakers strengthen institutional mechanisms to facilitate greater social engagement among older adults to improve their intrinsic capacity.