Motor function declines if no socializing

CHICAGO, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Elderly people who spend less time socializing experience more rapid decline in motor function, U.S. researchers say.

"It's not just running around the track that is good for you," Dr. Aron Buchman of Rush University Medical Center said in a statement. "Our findings suggest that engaging in social activities may also be protective against loss of motor abilities."

The researchers recruited 906 older individuals from retirement facilities, subsidized housing complexes, church groups and social service agencies in northeastern Illinois, who had no signs of dementia or history of Parkinson's disease or stroke.

At the outset of the study, the participants filled out a survey indicating their level of participation in a variety of activities.

The researchers then annually assessed the participants' basic motor function, including muscle strength in the arms and legs, and motor performance, including walking and balance. Participants were tracked for about five years.

The study, published in the the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that motor decline was more rapid in those who less frequently participated in social activities, with each one-point decrease in a participant's social activity associated with an approximate 33 percent more rapid rate of decline.