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. 2010 Oct;50(5):594-602.
doi: 10.1093/geront/gnq007. Epub 2010 Feb 19.

Environmental volunteering and health outcomes over a 20-year period

Karl Pillemer  1 , Thomas E Fuller-Rowell, M C Reid, Nancy M Wells
Affiliations

Environmental volunteering and health outcomes over a 20-year period

Karl Pillemer et al. Gerontologist. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: This study tested the hypothesis that volunteering in environmental organizations in midlife is associated with greater physical activity and improved mental and physical health over a 20-year period.

Design and methods: The study used data from two waves (1974 and 1994) of the Alameda County Study, a longitudinal study of health and mortality that has followed a cohort of 6,928 adults since 1965. Using logistic and multiple regression models, we examined the prospective association between environmental and other volunteerism and three outcomes (physical activity, self-reported health, and depression), with 1974 volunteerism predicting 1994 outcomes, controlling for a number of relevant covariates.

Results: Midlife environmental volunteering was significantly associated with physical activity, self-reported health, and depressive symptoms.

Implications: This population-based study offers the first epidemiological evidence for a significant positive relationship between environmental volunteering and health and well-being outcomes. Further research, including intervention studies, is needed to confirm and shed additional light on these initial findings.

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