Journal article
Childcare engagement among older adults in Australia and subsequent physical, psychosocial, and behavioral health outcomes
Annals of behavioral medicine, Vol.59(1), pp.1-12
26/10/2025
PMID: 41143543
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
Background: While intergenerational caregiving is increasingly prevalent among older individuals, longitudinal evidence on its associations with multidimensional health outcomes remains limited.
Purpose: This study examined the associations between childcare engagement in older adults and various health and behavioral outcomes at follow-up.
Methods: We analyzed data from a cohort of >12 000 (range: 12 124-12 896) community-dwelling adults aged 70+ years, categorizing childcare engagement as never, <weekly, and ≥weekly. Using an outcome-wide approach, we assessed 42 outcomes across physical, cognitive/major health events, psychological, social, and behavioral domains. Follow-up assessments occurred at ∼2 years for most outcomes, with extended follow-up (median 6-9 years) for time-to-event outcomes. We performed gender-disaggregated regressions, adjusting for multiple covariates.
Results: Participants were aged 70-95 years (mean: 75.2 ± 4.3) at baseline, and 54.5% were women. Childcare engagement was more common among women (46% vs. 40%). Key findings included: (1) social domain: both genders showed increased social contacts and community participation, with women additionally demonstrating reduced social isolation; (2) mortality: lower mortality was observed in men with a dose-response pattern, while only <weekly childminding was associated with lower mortality in women; (3) physical domain: men showed increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity while women had higher pain reports and slower gait speed; and (4) null associations: most psychological outcomes, as well as certain physical and health events, showed no significant relationships.
Conclusion: Childcare engagement during older adulthood was linked to not only selected health outcomes, including notable social benefits and lower mortality, but also some physical trade-offs in women. These findings support considering intergenerational engagement in healthy ageing initiatives.
Details
- Title
- Childcare engagement among older adults in Australia and subsequent physical, psychosocial, and behavioral health outcomes
- Creators
- Htet Lin Htun - Monash UniversityAchamyeleh Birhanu Teshale - Monash UniversityJoanne Ryan - Monash UniversitySee Hang Foong - Monash HealthCandice Oster - Flinders UniversityAlice J Owen - Monash UniversityRosanne Freak-Poli - Monash Health
- Publication Details
- Annals of behavioral medicine, Vol.59(1), pp.1-12
- Publisher
- Oxford Academic
- Identifiers
- 991013402968702368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s) 2025.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article