| Authors and year. (Region of study) |
Objectives |
Methodological design |
Outcomes |
Limitations |
Dyall et al.99 Dyall L, Kepa M, The R, Mules R, Moyes SA, Wham C, et al. Cultural and social factors and quality of life of Maori in advanced age. Te puawaitanga o nga tapuwae kia ora tonu - Life and living in advanced age: a cohort study in New Zealand (LiLACS NZ). N Z Med J. 2014;127(1393):62-79., 2014.
(New Zealand) |
Relate socioeconomic and cultural profile to quality of life. |
Target population: 421 indigenous New Zealand older adults (Maori) and non-Maori;
Age variation: 80-90 years;
Design: Transversal, cohort data. |
1) Contact with Maori culture and language was related to better perception of well-being.
2) The frequency of visiting the tribes was directly related to the engagement in cultural activities, with a better perception of quality of life, in the physical aspects. |
1) Cross-sectional study does not allow claims of causality.
2) The assessment instrument used applies concepts of quality of life of Western society, which may differ from the New Zealand concept. |
Lai1010 Lai CH. An integrated approach to untangling mediated connectedness with online and mobile media. Comput Human Behav. 2014;31(1):20-6., 2014.
(USA) |
Correlate the use of technologies to participation in socio-cultural practices. |
Target population: 2.250 American adults e older adults;
Age variation: 31- 70 years;
Design: Transversal. |
1) The use of the internet and apps was associated with engagement in socio-cultural activities, with an increase in the number of trips to cultural facilities. |
1) Cross-sectional study does not allow claims of causality.
2) There were few response variables in the assessment instrument and this may have contributed to non-significant effects. |
Thomson e Chatterjee1111 Thomson LJM, Chatterjee HJ. Well-being with objects: evaluating a museum object-handling intervention for older adults in health care settings. J Appl Gerontol. 2014;24(1):1-14., 2014.
(UK) |
Correlate tactile exploration in works of art with affect and well-being. |
Target population: 40 British older adults;
Age variation: 65-85; years;
Design: Transversal. |
1) Tactile exploration resulted in increased positive affect, well-being and happiness, and reduced negative affect in the hospital and residential settings.
2) In psychiatric wards there was no difference in positive affect and perception of well-being in the post-intervention.
3) Those who had never visited the museum showed a lack of interest in handling the art pieces and preferred to read the fact sheets, demonstrating curiosity. |
1) Small sample with short term interventions.
2) There was no control group.
4) Two interventions were used (individual and group) and their separate effects are not known. |
Ejechi1212 Ejechi EO. Social activities of retired Nigerian academics: the applicability of the continuity theory. Act Adapt Aging. 2015;39(1):64-76., 2015.
(Nigeria) |
Correlate the level of engagement in socio-cultural activities with perception of health. |
Target population: 514 Nigerian adults and older adults;
Age variation: 55- 75 years;
Design: Qualitative. |
1) There was no significant difference for the types of socio-cultural participation between retired and non-retired professors.
2) Participation in academic activities declined significantly in retired professors and social participation increased, especially in cultural traditions. |
1) The sample was restricted to the category of university professors. Thus, it is not known if the maintenance of cultural traditions applies to the Nigerian population. |
Rapacciuolo et al.1313 Rapacciuolo A, Filardi PP, Cuomo R, Mauriello V, Quarto M, Kisslinger A, et al. The impact of social and cultural engagement and dieting on well-being and resilience in a group of residents in the metropolitan area of Naples. J Aging Res. 2016;1(1):1-11., 2016.
(Italy) |
To investigate the relationship between subjective well-being and the social impact and cultural participation of residents of an Italian city in a time of economic crisis. |
Target population: 571 Italian older adults;
Age variation: 62- 77 years;
Design: Transversal. |
1) There is an association between participation in socio-cultural activities and subjective well-being and resilience.
2) Many were unemployed and the city was in economic crisis. As women did not participate in social and cultural activities, they had lower well-being and were less resilient, as availability and access to cultural and social activities was a key element for a healthy environment.
3) Women scored higher than men in happiness when life satisfaction was assessed. |
1) Although not described by the authors, one limitation is due to the study design. Longitudinal studies are best suited to investigating emotional aspects and their relationships with cultural access and participation.
2) the socioeconomic condition variable was not highlighted, since this was the reason for the restricted participation of women in cultural devices. |
Annear et al.1414 Annear MJ, Otani J, Sun J. Experiences of Japanese aged care: the pursuit of optimal health and cultural engagement. Age Ageing. 2016;45(6):753-6., 2016.
(Australia) |
Identify the practices adopted in nursing homes to keep older people connected to their cultures. |
Target population: 3 institutions with Japanese older adults;
Age variation: not applicable;
Design: Descriptive. |
1) To foster cultural engagement, long-term care facilities for older adults carried out activities preserving Japanese traditions (flowers, food and dancing) to keep such adults connected to culture. |
1) The authors did not describe the limitations, but the data collection did not include the perception of the older adults about the strategies to connect them to cultural traditions. |
Shepherd et al.44 Shepherd SM, Delgado RH, Sherwood J, Paradie Y. The impact of indigenous cultural identity and cultural engagement on violent offending. BMC Public Health. 2018;18(1):50-7., 2018.
(Australia) |
Relate identity and cultural engagement to recurrence of violence in indigenous people in custody. |
Target population: 119 Australian indigenous adults and older adults;
Age variation: 19-63 years;
Design: Longitudinal. |
1) The level of cultural engagement was greater in those who had a stronger cultural identity.
2) There is a negative relationship between cultural engagement and the recurrence of violence, explained by increased self-esteem, self-confidence, social support and purpose in life. |
1) Although the participants were indigenous, they were from different regions and their cultural values could vary wildly.
2) It is not known if the natives harbored multiple identities, without noting their preference of indigenous identity. . |
Fancourt et al1515 Fancourt D, Steptoe A, Cadar D. Cultural engagement and cognitive reserve: museum attendance and dementia incidence over a 10-year period. Br J Psychiatr. 2018;213(5):661-3., 2018.
(UK) |
Relate cultural engagement to risk of developing dementia. |
Target population: 3.911 British adults and older adults;
Age variation: 56-72 years;
Design: Cohort. |
1) Those who visited museums a few times a month or more had a lower incidence of dementia, regardless of the variables: sensory impairment, depression and vascular conditions.
2) The cognitive stimulation provided by museum visits makes cultural engagement an important strategy for maintaining cognitive reserve and reducing social isolation. |
1) The study was not experimental. |
Goulding1616 Goulding A. The role of cultural engagement in older people's lives. Cult Sociol. 2018;12(4):518-39., 2018.
(UK) |
Correlate the degree of cultural involvement and its effects on the lives of older adults. |
Target population: 40 British older adults;
Age variation: 64-98 years;
Design: qualitative. |
1) Participants engaged in cultural activities to enrich themselves socially.
2) For those with lower levels of education and from lower social classes, cultural engagement was more restricted. |
1) Groups varied greatly in size and opportunities for cultural engagement .
3) Not all older people were retired, which reflected in lower cultural participation and may have influenced outcomes. |
Fancourt and Steptoe66 Fancourt D, Steptoe A. Physical and psychosocial factors in the prevention of chronic pain in older age. J Pain. 2018;18(1):1385-91., 2018 (a).
(UK) |
Correlate cultural engagement with cognitive skills. |
Target population: 3.445 British adults and older adults;
Age variation: 52-90 years;
Design: Transversal, cohort data. |
1) Cultural engagement seems to have benefits for memory and semantic fluency, regardless of cognitive status, demographic variables, perception of health, and participation in activities.
2) The higher the frequency of engagement, the greater the protective factor for cognition, except for going to the movies.
3) There was no correlation between going to the theater/concerts/opera and semantic fluency. |
1) Cross-sectional study does not allow claims of causality.
2) Data were collected from the previous year only, with no longer deadlines, which does not allow us to draw conclusions on the perpetuation of benefits.
3) There may be a two-way relationship between culture, engagement and cognition. |
Fancourt and Steptoe77 Fancourt D, Steptoe A. Cultural engagement predicts changes in cognitive function in older adults over a 10 year period: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Nature. 2018;8(1):10226-34., 2018 (b).
(UK) |
Correlate physical and psychosocial factors (culture) with chronic pain. |
Target population: 2.631 British adults and older adults;
Age variation: 52-90 years;
Design: Transversal, cohort data. |
1) Cultural engagement appears as a psychosocial factor that protects chronic pain, except for participation activities in community groups.
3) Cultural engagement proved benefits regardless of sedentary behavior, physical activity and social isolation. |
1) Cross-sectional study does not allow claims of causality.
2) This sample is representative of white British people, but the results for other ethnicities are not known. |
Fancourt and Tymoszuk55 Fancourt D, Tymoszuk U. Cultural engagement and incident depression in older adults: evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Br J Psychiatr. 2019;214(4):225-9., 2019.
(UK) |
Relate cultural engagement to the incidence of depression. |
Target population: 2.148 British adults and older adults;
Age variation: 52-89 years;
Design: Cohort. |
1) The higher the frequency of cultural activities, the lower the risk of developing depression, regardless of sociodemographic, health, behavior and forms of social engagement (hobbies, social interactions, community group) and civic variables. |
1) Cross-sectional study does not allow claims of causality.
2) May have participants with subclinical moods or depression that would explain the reduction in engagement. |
Source: authors, 2019.
Source: authors’ own production, 2019.