Yale University School of Public Health, Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health, 60 College Street, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
Received 20 October 2015, Revised 11 July 2016, Accepted 15 July 2016, Available online 18 July 2016
Abstract
Although
books can expose people to new people and places, whether books also
have health benefits beyond other types of reading materials is not
known. This study examined whether those who read books have a survival
advantage over those who do not read books and over those who read other
types of materials, and if so, whether cognition mediates this book
reading effect. The cohort consisted of 3635 participants in the
nationally representative Health and Retirement Study who provided
information about their reading patterns at baseline. Cox proportional
hazards models were based on survival information up to 12 years after
baseline. A dose-response survival advantage was found for book reading
by tertile (HRT2 = 0.83, p < 0.001, HRT3 = 0.77, p < 0.001),
after adjusting for relevant covariates including age, sex, race,
education, comorbidities, self-rated health, wealth, marital status, and
depression. Book reading contributed to a survival advantage that was
significantly greater than that observed for reading newspapers or
magazines (tT2 = 90.6, p < 0.001; tT3 = 67.9, p < 0.001).
Compared to non-book readers, book readers had a 23-month survival
advantage at the point of 80% survival in the unadjusted model. A
survival advantage persisted after adjustment for all covariates (HR =
.80, p < .01), indicating book readers experienced a 20% reduction in
risk of mortality over the 12 years of follow up compared to non-book
readers. Cognition mediated the book reading-survival advantage
(p = 0.04). These findings suggest that the benefits of reading books
include a longer life in which to read them.
Keywords
- Reading;
- Longevity;
- Aging;
- Mortality;
- Cognition
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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