Synergistic Effects of Social Activity and Physical Exercise on Disability in Chinese Older Adults

Background With population aging in China, disability among older adults has become increasingly prevalent. Understanding how social activity and physical activity affect disability levels is critical for developing interventions. This study aimed to examine the effects of these factors and their interaction on disability progression. Methods Utilizing data from a representative sample of older adults in the study region, multivariable logistic regression models were employed to assess the effects of social activity and physical activity on disability levels. Model 1 adjusted for demographic variables; Model 2 further incorporated the variables of social activities and physical exercise; Model 3 additionally adjusted for health-related variables associated with disability. When interaction terms reached statistical significance, simple effects analyses were conducted to examine disability outcomes across varying levels of social and physical activity. Results The results showed that, after controlling for age, sex, education level, marital status, area of residence, income level, lifestyle factors, and physical fitness, higher frequency of social activities and physical exercise were significantly associated with lower degree of disability in the elderly (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Simple effect analysis further showed that there was a significant interaction between social activities and physical exercise on the degree of disability (p < 0.05, p < 0.05). Specifically, being socially inactive and physically inactive increased the risk of disability, while being socially active and physically active decreased the risk of disability. Conclusions Our results highlight the important roles of social activities and physical exercise in reducing the risk of disability in older adults, especially in rural and low-income areas. Policy makers should consider strengthening social support and promoting physical activity to improve the quality of life and reduce the risk of disability in older adults. Clinical trial number Not applicable.