A Community-Based Intervention to Enhance Subjective Well-Being in Older Adults: Study Design and Baseline Participant Profiles

Abstract

Promoting subjective well-being is a crucial challenge in aging societies. In 2022, we launched a community-based intervention trial (the Chofu-Digital-Choju Movement). This initiative centered on fostering in-person and online social connections to enhance the subjective well-being of older adults. This paper describes the study design and baseline survey. This quasi-experimental study involved community-dwelling older adults aged 65–84 years in Chofu City, Tokyo, Japan. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 3742 residents (1681 men and 2061 women), and a baseline survey was conducted in January 2022. We assessed subjective well-being (primary outcome); psychosocial, physical, and dietary factors; and the use of information and communication technology variables (secondary outcomes) among the participants. After the intervention involving online classes, community hubs, and community events, a 2-year follow-up survey will be conducted to evaluate the effects of the intervention, comparing the intervention group (participants) with the control group (non-participants). We received 2503 questionnaires (66.9% response rate); of these, the analysis included 2343 questionnaires (62.6% valid response rate; mean age, 74.4 (standard deviation, 5.4) years; 43.7% male). The mean subjective well-being score was 7.2 (standard deviation, 1.9). This study will contribute to the development of a prototype subjective well-being strategy for older adults.

Keywords

• subjective well-being
• intervention
• older adults
• isolation
• internet