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Association between late-life social activity and motor decline in older adults
Buchman AS, Boyle PA, Wilson RS, Fleischman DA, Leurgans S, Bennett DA.. Archives of internal medicine, 2009-06-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background Loss of motor function is a common consequence of aging, but little is known about the factors that predict idiopathic motor decline. Our objective was to test the hypothesis that late-life social activity is related to the rate of change in motor function in old age. Methods Longitudinal cohort study with a mean follow-up of 4.9 years with 906 persons without stroke, Parkinson disease, or dementia participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project.
Key findings
- Our objective was to test the hypothesis that late-life social activity is related to the rate of change in motor function in old age.
- Methods Longitudinal cohort study with a mean follow-up of 4.9 years with 906 persons without stroke, Parkinson disease, or dementia participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project.
- At baseline, participants rated the frequency of their current participation in common social activities from which a summary measure of social activity was derived.
- The main outcome measure was annual change in a composite measure of global motor function, based on 9 measures of muscle strength and 9 motor performances.
Why it matters
In this longitudinal cohort of 906 older adults without stroke, Parkinson disease or dementia, the study tested whether late-life social activity was related to the rate of change in motor function over about 4.9 years. It addresses motor decline in aging, not the treatment, cure or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants906
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Archives of internal medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Archives of Internal Medicine: journal h-index 462 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2009 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 906 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 268 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 14.1 citations a year over 19 year(s) since 2009 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 16.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 40 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author David Alan Bennett: h-index 197 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Rush University Medical Center: institution h-index 670 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 19546415) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2009.135
- PubMed: 19546415
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Buchman, A. S., Boyle, P. A., Wilson, R. S., Fleischman, D. A., Leurgans, S., & Bennett, D. A. (2009). Association between late-life social activity and motor decline in older adults. Archives of internal medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2009.135
Vancouver
Buchman AS, Boyle PA, Wilson RS, Fleischman DA, Leurgans S, Bennett DA. Association between late-life social activity and motor decline in older adults. Archives of internal medicine. 2009. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.135. PMID: 19546415.
BibTeX
@article{buchman2009-19546415,
author = {Buchman, A. S. and Boyle, P. A. and Wilson, R. S. and Fleischman, D. A. and Leurgans, S. and Bennett, D. A.},
title = {{Association between late-life social activity and motor decline in older adults}},
journal = {Archives of internal medicine},
year = {2009},
doi = {10.1001/archinternmed.2009.135},
pmid = {19546415},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2009.135}
}
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