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Objective: Regular engagement in behavioral activities plays a crucial role against depressive symptoms in older adults. This study aims to explore the relationship between behavioral activities and the temporal evolution of depressive symptoms.Methods: We included community-dwelling Japanese adults aged 64 or 65 years with and without depressive symptoms enrolled in the New Integrated Suburban Seniority Investigation (NISSIN) project. Depressive symptoms at baseline and follow-up were assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Behavioral activities were measured by self-reported questions. Risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using modified Poisson regression, adjusting for relevant sociodemographic variables and health-related confounders.Results: During the 6 year follow-up period, 139 (10.1%) without depressive symptoms at baseline developed such symptoms over time, while 174 (51.6%) with depressive symptoms improved to the point of these symptoms being absent. The participants without depressive symptoms at baseline and those who engaged in social activity or daily walking at a continued regular frequency (CRF) or an increased frequency (IF) and exercise habits at CRF were the least likely to have depressive symptoms onset at follow-up. There was no significant difference between the changes in behavioral activities and the improvement of depressive symptoms after controlling for confounders. Participants engaging in a greater variety of behavioral activities at CRF were less likely to experience a new onset of depressive symptoms.Conclusions: Consistent and regular participation in one or more behavioral activities was significantly associated with the onset of depressive symptoms in Japanese community-dwelling older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Social activities involved social-related, learning, and personal activities. • Increased learning activities reduce the risk of LTC needs in depressed older adults. • Increased learning activities prolong depressed older adults LTC-needs-free survival. To examine the effects of changes in individual/multiple social activities between 65 and 70 years of age on incident long-term care (LTC) needs between 70 and 80 in older adults with depressive symptoms. Participants were recruited from the New Integrated Suburban Seniority Investigation Project, an ongoing prospective cohort study. A total of 525 older adults with depressive symptoms were included. The validated 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms. A self-report questionnaire was used to measure social activities (social-related, learning, and personal). LTC needs was defined according to Japan's Long-term Care Insurance System. A competing risk model and a Laplace regression model were used to estimate the hazard ratios of LTC needs incidence and the 25th percentile difference in LTC-needs-free survival time and their 95% confidence intervals. Out of 4314 person-years of mild LTC needs, 108 individuals developed it. Participants who increased their frequency of learning activities have a lower risk of developing mild LTC needs. Increasing the frequency could also prolong LTC-needs-free survival time by approximately 2.61 years. Out of 4535 person-years for severe LTC needs, 54 individuals developed it. Participants with a continuous regular frequency of learning activities had a lower risk of developing severe LTC needs. However, the association between this frequency and LTC-needs-free survival time for severe LTC needs was insignificant in the multivariable models. Increased frequency of learning activities reduced the risk of LTC needs among older adults with depressive symptoms and prolonged their LTC-needs-free survival time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Social activities involved social-related, learning, and personal activities. • Personal activities had a great impact on depressive symptoms. • Combinations of regular social activities was associated with depressive symptoms. We aimed to explore the association between changes in social activities and the occurrence/persistence of depressive symptoms and investigate the difference in effect sizes among the types and combinations of social activities. The study adopted a valid 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale to assess depressive symptoms in 2480 community-dwelling adults aged 64/65 years. Changes in social-related, learning, and personal activities were classified into four categories: continued low frequency (CLF), increased frequency (IF), decreased frequency (DF), and continued regular frequency (CRF) 1 1 CLF: continued low frequency, IF: increased frequency, DF: decreased frequency, CRF: continued regular frequency. Relative ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using a modified Poisson regression model. Those without depressive symptoms at baseline and who engaged in social-related (RR IF = 0.56 (0.39, 0.81), RRC RF = 0.55 (0.41, 0.74)), learning (RR IF = 0.63 (0.44, 0.89), RR CRF = 0.62 (0.46, 0.85)), and personal activities (RRIF = 0.37 (0.24, 0.57), RR CRF = 0.41 (0.30, 0.56)) at IF or CRF were less likely to develop depressive symptoms. Those with depressive symptoms at baseline, engaging in personal activities at IF (RR=0.67 (0.51, 0.87)) and CRF (RR= 0.80 (0.65-1.00)) were less likely to have persistent depressive symptoms. Participation in all three activities consistently at a regular frequency was inversely associated with the occurrence/persistence of depressive symptoms. The effect of personal activities was more manifest in preventing depressive symptoms than the other two kinds, regardless of depressive symptoms at baseline. Regularly engaging in a combination of all three activities at baseline and follow-up was associated with the occurrence and persistence of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]